He Who Escaped
by Heartflower
Summary: Everyone thought the danger was over,but when a buttoneyed boy and a metal hand comes to the Pink Palace,Coraline and Wybie are thrown into a new and strange world,where a creature worst than the Beldam might be hiding in shadows.First Fanfic.
1. A Wet Struggle

**Okay guys, i've actually decided to WRITE a story instead of just reading one. This is my FIRST fanfic, so I hope you enjoy it. I would also appreciate it if you would review, and I'm always open to any suggestions for future events**

**DISCLAIMER! **

**Coraline: HEY you stole me!**

**Heartflower: I did not!**

**Coraline: Uh huh! I don't belong to you**

**Heartflower: True but if you hadn't have interrupted! - glare - Everyone would have already been told that!**

**Coraline: - glare -**

**Heartflower: ….. Well anyway on with the story!**

**He Who Escaped: Chapter 1**

The rain beat down on the earth like a colony of angry hornets. A lone figure could be seen struggling through the rain. It had gone through a lot to get here, and was pretty beat up. His black hair was plastered to the side of his head, and his clothes, now merely rags, clung uncomfortably to his skin.

He sloshed through the rivers of mud and up a steep and slippery hill. Drenched from head to foot, he was finally nearing his destination. He stumbled once, and fell splashing into a puddle of mud. WIth effort, he pulled himself up and shakily continued his slow progress.

The rain, cold on his skin, would only allow him to see a few feet. It was relentless. He trudged on until he could barely stand up right. He was ready to give up, then and there, but he saw hope. Hope in the form of a rotting, old sign. Pink Palace This Way, it read. He dragged himself in the direction it pointed, squinting in the rain to see any sign of the big house.

Finally, he could make out a very dim and faint outline in the distance. He jumped as thunder boomed and lightning split the sky. Shivering from the cold, he trudged through the slimy, muddy ground. Suddenly, he tripped. To weak and tired to scream, he rolled down the hill toward the faded pink old house.

He came to a jarring stop at the bottom of the hill. Moaning, he tried to pick himself up, but his arms failed and he crashed back on the ground. He bordered on the edge of unconsciousness while the coldness from the ground creeped into his limbs. He wanted so bad to give into the blackness, but instead he pushed it away. With a groan, he hoisted himself onto his hands and knees.

Desperately, he crawled across the ground, his clothes getting even more filthy than they already were. So eager was he to reach the old and creepy house, that he pushed on. It wasn't too far now. His strength failed him again, his arms wobbled and gave way. He spit out some mud and proceeded in dragging his body across the ground. Almost there.

He wouldn't allow himself to rest, not when he was so close. The house of apartments loomed before him. It's wood was creaky, and its paint faded and peeling, but nevertheless it was the symbol of relief. The house looked ominous and creepy in the dark and rainy day.

Groaning, he dragged himself at last to the rickety, old, splintery steps. He rested against it briefly, gathering up his strength, whatever was left of it anyway. He let out another moan and pulled himself up the steps and to the white painted door.

Mustering up enough strength, he knocked weakly on the worn wood. The sound was pathetic, but he couldn't gather up enough strength to try again. He closed his eyes, to worn out to cry. Suddenly, the door swung open and light poured out into the dark.

Relief filled him as he opened his eyes. He had done it. Weakly, he pulled his button-eyed face up to look at the blue haired female standing in the doorway. Her skin was pale, and her face was flecked with freckles. She had on some dark blue jeans, and a shirt with a butterfly in it. In her short blue hair, was a dragonfly barrette. "Help…Me…" he croaked pathetically.


	2. The Boy With Button Eyes

**Okay I would like to give a special shout out to **_**WybiE'z KiDnaPper**_**. Thank you for your awesome review! Everyone else, feel free to review this story! It's my first fanfic so I really would like to know if I'm any good, or if there is anything i could do to improve!**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Coraline: - glare -**

**Heartflower: What?**

**Coraline: Achem I think you are forgetting something!**

**Heartflower: Huh? - takes out checklist - No I'm not!**

**Coraline: You need to disclaim me stupid!**

**Heartflower: Grr I was just about to do that! - death glare -**

**Coraline: - glare back - Well hurry up the people are waiting!**

**Heartflower: - mumbles it's your fault - Anyway onto the story!**

**Chapter 2**

Coraline looked down upon the figure on the ground, and screamed bloody murder. Terrified, she backed away slowly, she was shaking all over. Clenching and unclenching her hands, her thoughts were pounding against her skull. She knew this was going to happen! She just knew it! How could she have thought that the Beldam would just give her up? How could she have been so stupid?

As she backed away, she bumped into a dark, wooden table. Without taking her eyes off of that hideous button-eyed face, her hand groped along the table behind her, looking for any weapon that she could use against this monster. Almost immediately, her hand fell upon a tiny glass vase that held roses that had long since wilted away. She grasped it firmly in her hand, and with one quick motion, ran at the muddy button-eyed freak in her doorway.

Her eyes were locked onto the creature's face, onto those black as coal button eyes. As she neared him, his face changed from relief to fear. Knowing what was about to happen, he desperately threw up an arm in a lame attempt to defend himself. She could hear the wind rush past her, as she ran. She shifted the vase in her hand, ready to hit the hideous thing hard on it's ugly head.

At the last second, a black figure emerged from the darkness behind the creature and jumped in front of the button-eyed boy. Coraline screeched to a halt, and stared at the blue-eyed animal in front of her. It hissed at her until she lowered her arm, then nodded to the boy cowering on the floor. He blinked his bright sapphire blue eyes at her and meowed before running past her and jumping out and agilely jumping onto the kitchen window sill and out into the the rain that came down in sheets.

Coraline stood blinking after the skinny black cat, and shaking her head. Doubts about the boy swam around in her head. She knew that cat wouldn't interfere unless it was absolutely important. She stared after the cat thoughtfully, and tried to think of why Cat would do something like that. A moan escaped from the figure on the floor's lips, bringing her back to reality.

She approached the boy cautiously, not taking her eyes of his form. The glass vase was still in her hand, just in case she needed to protect herself. She crouched down on the floor next to the boy and took in the sight. His clothes were but mere rags, but she guessed they used to be jeans and a black t-shirt. His body was caked with mud, clothes and all.

Coraline bit her trembling lip and her face was ashen white. She gasped and, dropping the vase which shattered on contact with the floor, clapped her hands on her mouth to keep from screaming and running out into the rain, just visible among the mud, were deep scratches all along his body. What was worse, was the blood oozing out from those scratches. _Puppets don't bleed…. _she thought. Then it hit her, this boy was no puppet. He was human!

**Thats the end of Chapter 2! I hope you guys liked it! Please review and tell me what you thought!**


	3. The Key and the Ambush

**Hey people! Okay, Before i start, I would like to give another shout out to WybiE's KiDnaPper for reviewing and for writing an awesome story. The title is ****_Good Enough_****, i'm not even kidding you guys have to read it!**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Heartflower: I would like to take time out of the story to give you a very valuable piece of information…**

**Coraline: Oh would you just get to the point!**

**Heartflower: I was! You just won't shut your stupid mouth!**

**Coraline: Ugh just disclaim me already!**

**Hearflower: Grr! I don't own Coraline people! There you have been disclaimed now shut up!**

**Coraline: - sulks -**

**Heartflower: ANYWAY! Onto the story - puts on some special theme music! -**

**He Who Escaped: Chapter 3**

Coraline bit her trembling lip, trying very hard not to cry. An overwhelming urge to run out of this house and away from this nightmare swept over her. Instead, she fumbled around in her pocket for her cell phone. Pulling it out, she dialed Wybie's number with shaking fingers.

Anxiously she waited for Wybie's voice at the other end. It went to voicemail. "Jerkwad! Pick up your stupid phone!" she screamed into her dragonfly decorated, pink cell phone. Impatient, she dialed his number again. Suddenly, she noticed something dangling from a beat up chain around the boys neck. Whatever doubt there was about the Beldam doing this, faded. There, hanging on the boy's neck, was a key.

She jumped, dropping her phone, when Wybie's voice broke through the silence. Retrieving her phone from the floor, she put it on speaker while she struggled to get the chain off of the boy.

_Hey Jonesy! Whats up?_

"Wybie! I need your help! It's her! She's back!"

_Who's back?_

"She's going to kill me!"

_Coraline calm down and tell me what happened!_

"The boy…. and then the buttons…. a-and then the key!" she choked out, her voice starting to sound high and panicky.

_Coraline don't worry i'll be right there!_

Finally she managed to force the chain of his neck and held the chain between her fingers. Standing up she held it up, getting a good look at the black, cursed thing that was the source of all her fears. At that moment, they came. Thousands of little furry bodies swarming through her doorway. Coraline let out a bone-chilling scream and dropped the phone on the floor.

_Coraline? What's going on?_

They were everywhere, and coming right towards her. Their button-eyes glinting with hatred. In a second they would be on her. They were pouring in by the thousands, scurrying on their dirty little paws. The sound of their shrill squeaking filled the air.

_Jonesy?_

Coraline didn't hear Wybie's questioning voice over the noise the rats were making. She knew she had to do something to keep the key safe, but what? Her eyes fell onto the boy with button eyes. Dropping to the floor, she slipped the button key into the boy's tattered shoe. Then they were on her. She had only time to get back up, when she was knocked down again.

_Coraline are you ok?_

The rats swarmed her, like angry hornets, biting and scratching wherever they could. You could barely hear her muffled screams over the thousands of rats piled on top of her. Coraline squirmed around, trying to get the rats off of her. It was no use, there were too many. She was outnumbered.

_Jonesy please answer me!_

Coraline's head swam, and she stopped struggling. Blood oozed from her many scratches and whenever she moved, pain would shoot through her body. She bordered on the edge of consciousness. The pain was agonizing and unbearable. Suddenly, there came a challenging yowl from the window.

_Coraline!_

A black, scrawny cat with blue eyes, jumped into the sea of rats, swiping at every rat that he saw. Another yowl sounded from the window and a skinny dirty white cat with green eyes jumped down to join the black one. Together, they battled the rats, until another yowl sounded, this time from the doorway. A brown, soaked to the bone, yellow-eyed cat emerged from the shadows of outside. Behind that one, many other cats were gathered.

_Coraline are you ok?_

At once, they flung themselves into battle, killing every rat in their path Together, the band of cats drove back the tide of rats. It wasn't long before the rats turned tail and fled. With a screech of triumph, the cats bolted into the rainy night in pursue of the enemy. Then all was silent.

_J-Jonesy? A-are you there?_

_Please pick up!_

_Jonesy?_

**That's the end of Chapter 3! I know you probably want to throw explosives at me for doing all these cliffies, but maybe if you review I might write the next chapter quickly!**


	4. A Button Kind of Disaster

**Hey guys! I'm back! I guess ya'll know what comes next… SHOUT OUT TIME! I would like to thank the following people, Beware of the Turtles, EvanescenceAngel, Butterflies Of Blue, and last but not least WybiE's KiDnaPpeR. Thank you guys for the awesome reviews!**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**EvanescenceAngel: Hey CAROLINE!**

**Coraline: GRR! My. Name. Is. Not. Caroline! Its CORAline!**

**Heartflower: Geez calm down Caroline!**

**Coraline: - glare - MY NAME IS NOT CAROLINE! AND DO NOT TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!**

**Heartflower: - glare - WHATEVER!**

**Coraline:Shut up and just disclaim me!**

**Herartflower: Everyone I don't own Coraline! And I'm really glad i DONT!**

**Coraline: - rolls eyes and stomps out of room -**

**EvanescenceAngel: - high fives Heartflower -**

**Heartflower: OK STORY TIME!**

**He Who Escaped: Chapter 4**

Wybourne Lovat dropped his black and skeleton decorated cellphone and made a mad dash for the creaky old stairs. As he was flying down the stairs, he tripped on his own two feet and ended up face first on the floor at the bottom. "Wybourne! What in Sam's heck are you doing?" his grandmas voice scolded from the kitchen.

Wybie groaned and heaved himself onto his feet. "Nothing Grandma!" he replied, walking to the garage. "Doesn't sound like nothing!" came the reply. Ignoring his Grandma, he turned the big brass doorknob and entered into his sanctuary.

All of his power tools hung from the wall in order from most used to least used. The garage was far from tidy, unlike the rest of the house. He picked his way through spare motorcycle parts and grabbed his coat off a table. Slipping on his shoes, he made his way through the cluttered mess and over to his motorcycle.

He opened the garage door, and wheeled his motorcycle into the pouring rain. Hopping on it he coaxed the motor to a rumbling purr. With that, he was off. The rain was almost blinding as it his his face with the force of stampeding elephants. He swerved to avoid trees as they suddenly appeared in his path. Icy rain soaked him to the bone.

Up ahead, he could see the shadowy outline of the Pink Palace. He screeched to a stop and climbed off of his homemade "death trap" as his grandma called it. Letting it fall into the mud, he walked up the hill, towards his best friend's house. Something was wrong. The door was wide open and he thought he could smell a faint trace of blood on the air.

Stumbling through the mud, he drew closer to the house. As he got closer, he noticed a skinny, black form sitting on the porch. Cat's ears were pricked and he was on high alert. It was almost as if he was guarding the house. But, from what?

When he had reached the porch, Cat looked at him and let out a small meow before focusing on the dark once more. To be honest, he was a little afraid to go inside, but he did anyway. He had to, for his friend.

He stood in the doorway and took in the scene before him. There were dead rats everywhere, littering the floor and emitting the unbearable stench of wet rat. Not just rats, but button-eyed rats. He shuddered. The place was a complete chaos. It actually look like a tornado had invaded and tore everything in its path. His eyes fell upon the crumpled up form of his best friend, bloody and lying amongst broken shards of glass.

Eyes locked on her still form, he did not see the trembling form blocking his path. He tripped. Startled, he looked back to see what he had tripped over and saw a the very muddy body of a boy. Almost instantly, his eyes locked onto those hideous, black buttons. His gaze traveled to Coraline, and decided to deal with this freak later. Getting back up on his feet, he looked down at the boy he had just tripped over. Narrowing his eyes, he gave the thing a good solid kick in the side. He nodded with satisfaction when the creature let out a moan.

As he walked towards Coraline, he began to notice the little scratch marks all over her body. He kneeled down next to his best friend and picked her up. "J-jonesy?" he whispered, his voice wavering. She stirred. He smiled in relief. His gaze wandered back to the boy on the floor and then back to his best friend's unconscious form. He connected the two together.

Within seconds, he had set Coraline down and was on his feet. Rage swept over him, blinded him. Before you could blink, he was rushing toward the boy. In one quick motion, Wybie picked up the creature and slammed it against the wall. His left hand was clenched onto the wretched things neck. It squirmed and grabbed at his hands, trying to free itself from the suffocating grip. He held it tighter. It stopped. Anger had control of him. This thing would pay. He drew back his arm, ready to swing.

"No! Wybie Stop!"

**Well another chapter done. I know you people are probably cursing the name of cliffies, and some of you might be making plans to destroy its existence with explosives O_o (crazy psychos) but maybe if you review i might be inspired to write the next chapter more quickly.**


	5. The Attack of the Needles

**Hey everyone! Sorry about not updating for like a week! Writer's block! Hey it happens to everyone! Okay shout out time! I would like to thank the following people: WybiE'z KiDnaPpeR, EvanescenceAngel, AutumnLovat, Beware of the Turtles, and Butterflies Of Blue. Thanks everyone you guys are amazing!**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Heartflower: - looks around - Caroline? Where u be?**

**Coraline: I'm right here stupid! AND MY NAME IS NOT CAROLINE! ITS CORALINE GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD!**

**Heartflower: I Am Not Stupid! - glare -**

**Coraline: If you weren't then you would go ahead and disclaim me already!**

**Heartflower: Why don't you do the smart thing and shut up so i can!**

**Coraline: WHY DONT YOU MAKE ME!**

**Heartflower: - smiles evilly and gets out ducktape -**

**Coraline: YOU WOULDN'T!**

**Heartflower: Too late! - puts ducktape on Coraline's mouth -**

**Coraline - glares -**

**Heartflower: Ah peace at last! I don't own Coraline (Thankfully)… Or her awesome friends Wybie and Cat (Sadly)**

**Coraline: - rips off ducktape and screams bloody murder -**

**Heartflower: O_o Well onto the story! **

**He Who Escaped: Chapter 5**

The button-eyed boy's head swam from lack of air. He gazed desperately into the eyes of his attacker. The boy had tan skin, like the color of caramel, and large teal colored eyes. A look of confusion was etched into his face, and he shook his head, as if to clear it.

Lungs burning, he struggled to breathe. Black spots dotted his vision, as the air was forced from him. He was on the verge of fainting, when his attacker came to his senses. Suddenly the pressure against his neck vanished, and he fell limply to the floor in a tangled heap.

Regaining his ability to breathe, he let a moan escape his cracked lips. He watched as the Wybie person stumbled back, with what appeared to be a look of disbelief on his face. The boy had on black jeans and a black t-shirt with a skull in the middle, both were soaked with rain and mud. His brown hair was plastered to his head, and his posture was bent over. Like a hunchback.

His gaze shifted to the blue-haired girl, Coraline. She struggled to her feet, and staggered over to where Wybie stood. She tripped, he caught her. He watched as she righted herself and whispered into the tan boy's ear. What she said, the button-eyed boy didn't know, but Wybie immediately jerked his head over to glare at the pitiful form on the floor.

Too tired to speak, he didn't protest when Wybie marched over to him and pulled him roughly to his feet. He didn't really like this Wybie person very much. Coraline gently took his hand. Together, they helped the button-eyed boy into another room, where Wybie practically threw him onto a couch. The living room. The one with the door. He had a bad feeling. They began to talk.

"What the heck happened!" Wybie snapped.

"What do you think happened!" she replied, irritated by Wybie's tone of voice.

"It looks like you were attacked by button boy over here and his army!" Wybie shot back, glaring at him.

"You honestly think HE could have attacked me! Look at him! He can barely even walk!"

"Well then who could it have been! The magical elves that live in the forest!"

"The Beldam you Jerkwad!"

The button-eyed boy watched as the two went back and forth. He doubted they really noticed that he was listening. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glint of silver. Alarmed, he snapped his attention toward the thing. It was crawling across the floor, making barely audible scratching noises. The Beldam's hand. And it was heading right towards Coraline. He had to warn them. It sprang into the air. Time was out, he had to say something!

"Coraline Watch out!

**End of Chapter 5! Sorry if it was kind of slow at the beginning! Well anyway! I know you hate those cliffies! So I'll offer you a deal! Review, and I might update the next chapter quickly! Or you could make plans to set explosive to the whole meaning of cliffy! Whichever you prefer!**


	6. The Metal Attacker

**Hi everyone! Guess what time it is! SHOUT OUT TIME! I would like to thank WybiE'z KiDnaPpeR, Beware of the Turtle, EvanescenceAngel, The Mortician's Daughter, and . Thank you guys for your amazing reviews!**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Heartflower: - cheerleader voice - Hey Caroline!**

**Coraline: HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU MY. NAME. IS. NOT. CAROLINE.**

**Heartflower: - rolls eyes - IT IS IF I SAY IT IS!**

**Coraline: NO IT ISNT!**

**Heartflower: WHOS THE WRITER HERE YOU OR ME!**

**Coraline: UGH! WOULD YOU JUST FREAKIN DISCLAIM ME!**

**Heartflower: I do not own Coraline people! Thank goodness for that!**

**Coraline: - glares before stomping out of room -**

**Heartflower: - grins evilly -**

**Coraline: - bucket of water falls on Coraline's head -**

**Heartflower: Well onto the story!**

**He Who Escaped: Chapter 6**

Coraline immediately whipped around in time to see a flash of silver lunge at her. Instinctively, she shielded her face with her hands. She felt the sting of the needles as it cut into her hand. Screaming in pain, she flung the hand across the room.

Unfazed the hand shot across the wooden floor and crawled up Coraline's pant leg. Coraline screamed as she felt it's sharp metal fingers penetrate her flesh. She squirmed around, trying to get it to fall out. It crawled all the way up her pants, through her shirt, and out of her sleeve. It propelled itself at Wybie.

She could see the horror in Wybie's face as it launched itself at him. He was frozen. Frozen with fear. In a sudden rush of adrenaline she tackled her best friend to the ground. The metal hand sailed over their heads and slammed into the wall.

Looking up, her eyes met the button-eyed boy's big black buttons. He mouthed the question, _The key?. _She looked over at the boy's muddy, tattered sneakers. Where the key was hidden. He looked back at the boy's muddy face. Watched as his expression turned from questioning, to horror as the meaning of her shifting gaze dawned on him.

A sharp pain in her back brought her back. She flinched. So hard that she elbowed her best friend in the nose. It started bleeding. Then time slowed. She could vaguely hear Wybie screaming and clutching at his face. Her eyes were on the hand as it made it's way towards the boy on the couch.

In a final desperate attempt to stop the hand, she ripped off her boot and threw it at the airborne needle menace. It missed. She screamed in frustration, and hot tears rolled down her face. This was all going wrong. It's not supposed to end this way!

The boy suddenly jumped of the couch, at a speed she didn't know what possible for an injured teenager. She watched as he faced the hand with narrowed eyes. The hand launched. The boy dodged. It flew towards the wall, and propelled off of the wood and flew right at the button-eyed boy's face.

Coraline flinched as the boy screamed in pain and clutched at his face. Dread filled her heart as he fell to his knees. She watched as the hand attacked the button-eyed boy. It aimed for the shoe. She tried to lunge at the hand, but tripped over her best friend lying on the ground. Hastily, she pushed Wybie out of the way and jumped onto her feet. But it was too late, it had the key.

She raced after the metal hand, trying to reach it before she lost it in the rain. Looking to her left, she could see Wybie running with her. It looked like they were going to catch it. They reached the door at the same time. There it was. A huge reptilian creature that towered over them. It's hard green scales shielded it from the rain and its wings were folded behind its back. Its huge sharp teeth, glinting in the light of the moon. They looked up at the huge beast in front of them. A dragon!

**Okay guys i finally got Chapter 6! Tell me how you liked it by reviewing! It might keep me motivated enough to update fast… *hint hint* Anyway thanks for reading!**


	7. Old Wells and Dragon Scales

**Hey guys waddup! I just got back from New York and I'm excited to start writing again. Okay so yall know the routine! SHOUT OUT TIME! (old lady shouts for me to shut up cuz she is trying to sleep) Anyway I would like to thank the following people: Wybie'Z KiDnaPeR, Can't Take Me Over, talking black kitty of the night (Awesome name by the way :D)Beware of the Turtles. Thank you all!**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Heartflower: Caroline! Come out to play! - looks around -**

**Coraline: - rolls eyes and turns up i pod -**

**Heartflower: - glare - DO NOT IGNORE ME! - tackles Coraline -**

**Coraline: AH!**

**Heartflower: - sits on Coraline - SAY YOUR SORRY!**

**Coraline: NEVER!**

**Heartflower: Fine I'll sit on you till you do!**

**Coraline: Don't you have some disclaiming to do!**

**Heartflower: Oh yea! I don't own Coraline - pokes Coraline - or her friends - waves to friends - NOW SAY YOUR SORRY!**

**Coraline:UGH FINE IM SORRY NOW GET OFF!**

**Heartflower: - jumps off an watches as Coraline stomps out of room - ONTO THE STORY!**

Pain danced across the button eyed boy's face where the hand had attacked him. He felt the room spin a little. Pulling his hand away, he glanced down at the sticky substance that made his hand red. Blood. He could vaguely hear Coraline screaming, but the sound became fuzzy as he closed his eyes. He tried to focus on the black instead of the pain. _Jason watch out! _A voice screamed in his mind.

His eyes immediately flashed open, he winced as the pain was present once more. All that was forgotten when he saw the dragon outside. Jason jumped to his feet immediately and took action. He raced toward the doorway, the wind fighting against him. Just in time. In a huge leap, he tackled the blue-haired girl to the ground. A column of white-hot fire shot from the dragon's mouth and onto the spot Coraline was standing only seconds before.

For a second, he stared into those big chocolate brown eyes. Then, he rolled to the side, getting off of the girl. He jumped and faced the green scaled dragon. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his silver pocket knife and flipped it open. The blade shined in the light of the moon. He narrowed his eyes as the dragon turned around to face him. It charged.

He waited until the last second, before dodge rolling out of the way. Turning around, he stabbed the dragon in the ear. He flinched as the dragon let out a great roar and turned around, nostrils smoking. It was angry. It's emerald scales had turned blood-red. Opening it's mouth it shot a huge fireball at Jason. He jumped to the side, barely missing the hungry flames. The heat blistered his back and the intensity of it threw him to the ground.

The dragon raised his foot, ready to stomp on Jason, when it was hit in the head by a boot. He could hear Coraline yelling, "Hey over here you oversized lizard!" Another purple boot hit the dragon in the side of the head. While the dragon was distracted, he rolled onto his feet. There was Coraline with a defiant look on her face standing in the rain in her orange pajamas. He focused on the dragon, which was now heading towards the blue-haired girl.

He got a better hold on his pocket knife and charged at the beast. In one quick motion he lodged the blade between the scales. Jumping he swung himself into the air, executing a perfect sideways backflip. He landed on the dragons's back with a thud. He had just time to get his breath back, when the dragon started to go ballistic. His heart jumped into his throat as the dragon shook back and forth violently.

Holding the knife between his teeth, he climbed up the dragon's back. His aim, it's head. Hanging on for dear life, he slipped and scraped himself on the dragon's hard scales the size of dinner plates. The rain wasn't helping either, it beat down on him with a fury. The horns were in his reach, he grabbed desperately onto one of the sharp horns with one hand. He grabbed his knife out of his mouth, ready to put an end to the beast. Suddenly, the dragon gave a great jerk and he went flying into the air.

The impact was jarring. His vision went fuzzy for a second, then it cleared. The dragon was roaring in triumph. Coraline was running toward him, concerned. In a daze he watched as the dragon came thundering toward him. He looked up at Coraline who had reached him. She was kneeling down next to him. Suddenly, everything came back into focus. The dragon was coming toward them, smoke coming off of it's body. It was too late for him to defend himself. He moved in front of Coraline, determined to at least save her. This was it.

Then from the dragon, erupted an ear-piercing roar. Confused, Jason watched as the dragon slowly started to turn into a pile of dust. There, standing in his black muddy coat, was the tan messy haired boy with a pocket knife in his hand. Wybie.

Jason slumped down, relief taking over. He watched as Coraline ran and gave Wybie a hug, then pulled away and punched his arm. "Not bad for a Stalker." she exclaimed. Getting shakily to his feet, Jason looked toward the forest in the direction the hand went. He looked over at Coraline and Wybie, they were looking towards the forest too. He guessed they all had the same things running in their minds. _The key._

As if someone had given a silent cue, they all ran for the trees. The forest was dark and foreboding. Everything in him was screaming at him to run. He skidded to a stop as he reached a clearing with a tree stump in the middle. A big black hole gaped out of the ground beside the tree stump. Wybie and Coraline went ahead of him to check it out. He needed a moment to stifle the bad memories surrounding this place.

Taking a big breath, he followed them over to the old forgotten well. He peered into the darkness that was the well. All he could hear was the sound of water running. Suddenly, a big gust of wind swept over the clearing, throwing him of balance. They all were pitched forward, into the swallowing darkness of the old well. Falling.

**Hope you guys liked it! I'm going to try really hard to update quickly, but i need the motivation to do so from reviews so..….. Review plz! Also, I have allowed anonymous reviews for this story so you guys don't have to have an account to review! =)**


	8. Welcome to the Other Realm

**Okay I promised I would update quickly, so i am! - rings obnoxiously large bell - SHOUT OUT TIME! I would like to thank: WybiE'z KiDnaPpeR, uhh897, fuge564, tomboy girl 897, talking black kitty of the night, and Beware of the Turtle, fungirl67,wootz876,one whirl person786, cat person 567, 3 face person. Thank you guys so so much when i saw the amount of reviews i got i could not stop smiling.**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Heartflower: Coraline come out of there right now! - kicks door -**

**Coraline: NO!**

**Heartflower: THEN IM BUSTIN IN!**

**Coraline: Good luck with that!**

**Heartflower: - gets explosives and lights them on fire - FIRE IN THE HOLE!**

**Coraline: WHAT THE HECK! - door explodes -**

**Heartflower: - tackles Coraline and ties her up -**

**Coraline: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!**

**Heartflower: - serious - Many Many Things…**

**Coraline: JUST DISCLAIM ME ALREADY!**

**Heartflower: fine… i don't own Coraline!**

**Coraline: NOW UNTIE ME!**

**Heartflower: I don't feel like it! - ignores Coraline as she screams some really rude things at her - ONTO THE STORY!**

Wybie tumbled through the air, banging into the sides of the old well as he fell. Their screams echoed through the black, bouncing off the walls so it sounded like a million voices were screaming instead of only three.

How long had they been falling? An hour? It sure seemed like an hour. Then suddenly, he hit water. He seemed to recall that hitting water when falling from high up, can hurt. Bad. They were right, he felt like he had just run into a brick wall.

Sinking below the surface, he hear the unmistakable slaps of two people falling into the freezing cold water. As he sunk deeper, the water seemed to get warmer. Less murky. Was it just his imagination, or could he see a sort of light towards the bottom. It looked like sunlight.

His lungs started to burn, and his hands immediately flew to his throat. He couldn't breathe. Head throbbing, it seemed that he couldn't keep his eyes open. Instinctively he opened his mouth, and took a took a deep breath. His lungs were on fire now as the water rushed in. He was drowning.

On the verge of unconsciousness, his mind went through everything that had happened to him leading up to this. His life flashed before his eyes, as his world was turned upside down. He was no longer sinking to the bottom of the old well, he was sinking to the bottom of what appeared to be a very large lake.

Suddenly, a strong arm grabbed hold of him. There was the sensation of rising up to the surface. His eyes burned from the water, but he kept them open. He craned his neck so that he could see the face of his rescuer. The button-eyed boy.

In seconds, they breached the surface. Wybie's world was filled once more with air. Sweet, useful air. He tried to breathe in some of that air, but he found he couldn't. Instead, he started coughing. Great heaves, that made his throat even more.

The boy gripped onto his arm tighter, as if worried that his hold might slip. Then, he could feel the bottom. The sand soft under his feet. He felt the boy pick him up, carrying him to the bank. The boy set him gently on the ground.

Suddenly, he felt a tremendous pressure on his chest. The water forced its way up his throat. With great coughs, lake water spewed out of his mouth. The pressure was felt again, and more water came out. With a rush, oxygen filled his lungs, and he took big gulps of it. He could breathe again. Dazed, he looked around for Coraline, he spotted her a few feet away from him, sitting up with a confused look on her face.

Relieved that she was safe, he looked around for the boy. He was standing in the shore of the huge body of water. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he waited for the throbbing in his head to die down before getting onto his two feet. He walked over to Coraline and offered her his hand. "I can get up myself!" she exclaimed.

Backing down, he watched, a smile plastered on his face, as Coraline tried to push herself up. After five minutes, she seemed to get her feet under her and she scrambled up. "Wipe that smirk off your face Jerkwad!" she said while smiling. She punched him in the arm.

While rubbing his arm, he surveyed the area around him. They were standing on what appeared to be a beach, the white sand blinding in the sun. Lining the beach, was a wild tangle of undergrowth so thick it look like a green wall. The air was hot and humid, making it a little hard to breathe. _Where the heck are we? _He thought, staring at the jungle. He became aware of the button boy standing right next to him.

"Welcome to the Other Realm!"

**So… What do you think? Good? Bad? I need to know people! OR I WILL DIE! Anyway send your thoughts in review form… remember anonymous review is enabled!**


	9. The Beast Under the Surface

**Hey peoples! I'm like so happy today cuz its my birthday! And What better way to celebrate than to update the story! - shout out theme song - SHOUT OUT TIME: Can't Take Me Over, WybiE'z KiDnaPpeR, yayz, 3 face person, coraline fan9090, coolzxwarmz9898, uhh897, fun girl 67, talking black kitty of the night! Thanks everyone! Also a special shout out to one girl person786 because i feel bad for misspelling her name in my last chapter. - gives imaginary rose to reviewers - I shall put you guys in the declaimer! Wow its gonna be a long disclaimer! =D**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Heartflower: CORALINE GUESS WHAT**

**Coraline: WHAT DO YOU WANT!**

**Heartflower: It's my birthday today!**

**Coraline: I Dont Freakin Care!**

**Heartflower: - tears - Y… Your mean - tears -**

**Coraline: - rolls eyes - LIFE is mean! SO PUT YOUR BIG BOY BOXERS ON AND DEAL WITH IT! - stomps out of room -**

**Heartflower: - smirks - NOW!**

**Reviewers: - jumps out at Coraline and shoots with paintball guns -**

**WybiE'z KiDnaPeR: EAT PAINT JERK!**

**Can't Take Me Over: MEET MR PAINT GUN CAROLINE!**

**Talking Black Kitty Of The Night: YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF!**

**Yayz: DIE!**

**3 face person: YOUR GOIN DOWN!**

**Coraline fan9090: WHAT NOW!**

**Coolzxwarmz9898: ATTACK!**

**uhh897: TAKE THIS!**

**fun girl 67: PAINT!**

**Heartflower: - gets out a paint bazooka - SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND! - shoots Coraline while laughing maniacally -**

**Coraline: - screams -**

**Heartflower: ONTO THE STORY PPL!**

Coraline looked over at the button-eyed boy. The mud had washed off during the dive in the lake. She could see now, that the hair she thought was black was actually a dark brown with with a mix of black and blonde at the tips. The button-eyed boy's medium length damp hair was choppy, like he didn't care how it looked, and it kept getting in his face. A splash of freckles on his nose and cheeks stood out against his light tan skin.

Looking toward the jungle, she took a step back. Weird animal noises rose up from the jungle in a menacing chorus. Strange rustlings in the undergrowth made it seem even more terrifying and mysterious. She was NOT going in there.

Abruptly, she turned around, refusing to look at it any more, and headed back down to the water. The cold water washed over her feet, cooling them off. With a sudden thought she waded in, wanting to go home. If this was how they got here, couldn't they get back the same way?

She looked back at Wybie and the button-eyed boy. They were still standing at the edge of the jungle. She waded farther into the blue water, until she had to stand on her tip-toes to keep her head above water. Reverting to swimming, she went out a little further.

Suddenly, she felt something bump into her. Whipping around, she looked for the offender. Nothing. She turned back around and was knocked forward as she was bumped into again. Spitting out a bunch of salt water, she felt something rub up against he leg. Something slimy.

Fear bounced around inside of her as she went completely stiff. What she been thinking coming out into the water like this! It bumped her again in her side, it seemed to have a pattern to the bumps. Suddenly she realized something. It was circling her!

She felt is rub up against her again, and started to panic and thrash around. She felt her foot make contact with whatever it was that was that was making circles around her form, and it jerked away. A huge roar erupted from underneath the surface, so loud that it shook the water.

A massive, dark form appeared right below the surface. She watched with wide eyes as it emerged out of the water. It's slippery, rubbery skin was a deep-teal color and it's neck seemed like twenty feet tall. The height of it's neck increased. Twenty-five feet. Thirty-five feet. Forty feet. Then came the body of it. It was about the size of twenty jumbo jets and its fins were double the size. It glared down at her tiny form and opened its mouth to reveal thousands of sharp teeth.

**Thank you thank you! - bows - Thank you so much guys for reviewing! It helped make this birthday great when i read all of those! I love you guys! Also, everyone else please Review! Don't worry bout not having an account because i enabled anonymous reviews! Sry if the disclaimer is so long while the actual chapter is short...**


	10. Monster of The Deep

**Ok peoples I'm back! Sry i wrote so little on the story last chapter i was hyper! Right now I'm totally the opposite… I'm lying on the floor trying not to throw up… Anyway! Shout out time: Can't Take Me Over, talking black kitty of the night (very interesting review btw ;D), 3 face person, one girl person, coolzxwarmz9898, uhh897, coraline fan9090, StarMoonRose, one girl9898, WybiE'z KiHnaPpeR, black cat are awsome6767, beware of the turtle, DarknessBeneathTheDragon'sEye,. Thnx all! It really means a lot!**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Heartflower: GET YOUR BUTT OUT HERE CORALINE!**

**Coraline: - in bedroom - And be shot at by more paint guns? NO WAY!**

**Heartflower: Then I will come get you!**

**Coraline: NO! DONT YOU DARE**

**Hearflower: - smirks - 1….**

**Coraline: NO!**

**Heartflower: 2…**

**Coraline: LEAVE ME ALONE!**

**Heartflower: 3! **

**Coraline: ALRIGHT IM COMING! - unlocks the door -**

**Heartflower: What are you doing?**

**Coraline: - holds pillow in front of self - Shielding myself!**

**Heartflower: Whatever! Coraline Jones you are officially Disclaimed! - pushes button on remote! -**

**Coraline: - water balloons fall on top of -**

**Heartflower: ONTO THE STORY!**

Jason jumped as a high-pitched scream shattered the silence. Abruptly, he turned around to see a huge beast towering over the blue-haired girl. He was in the water in an instant, swimming as if his life depended on it. His eyes were focused straight on Coraline, but he could hear that Wybie kid splash into the water.

Water splashed at him, as if trying to keep him from saving the girl. Frustrated, he took in a huge gulp of air and dived under the surface. He tried to ignore the little spine-back rainbow colored fish that swam around him, pricking him with their sharp needles.

He was halfway to the girl, when his lungs started to burn. Frantically, he kicked his way to the surface, the spine-backed fish following as he rose. The second he broke surface, the beast thrust its teeth-filled mouth at the girl. She seemed to come to her senses and dodged, just before the thing took a huge chunk out of her.

Diving down again, he realized that the spiny fish had grown in number, and were swimming in a frenzy around him. He almost stopped to deal with the annoying pests, but another roar from the sea beast, and he was off again. He could see other unknown things, stirring in crevices of rocks. All of the commotion seemed to cause all the other creatures of the ocean to come out of hiding.

Suddenly, the girl was above him, her bare feet kicking wildly. Clawing his way to the surface, he grabbed onto the girls arm. The moment he latched onto her arm, she started thrashing around, making him loose his grip on her. Suddenly, her elbow was in his face.

He jerked his hand away from her arm, and fought back a glare. Taking a deep breath, he wrapped one arm around her waist. As expected, she squirmed around, trying to wriggle herself out of his grasp. Ignoring her screams of protest, he looked around for the huge sea beast. It had disappeared.

Suddenly, there it was, coming right at them from below with its mouth open wide and it's black button eyes gleaming with hatred. The sight of it almost caused him to lose his hold on Coraline. Snapping out of it, he braced himself for the attack.

Just as it was about to attack, he dodged to the side and grabbed onto its neck with his free arm. In one swift motion, he swung his leg over its neck, like he was mounting a horse. He realized with relief that Coraline had stopped squirming, instead she clung onto him, digging her fingers into his arm.

Taking a breath, he let go of his hold on the neck. Air whipped up at them as they slid down the rubbery, slippery neck. They landed with a thump on it back. Almost at once, he felt himself sliding off. At the last second, he wrapped his arm around the base of the neck and they jerked to a stop, nearly pulling his arm out of it's socket.

Suddenly, the sea monster's face materialized in front of them, anger glittering in it's black buttons. He was staring death right in the face, and laughed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Coraline staring at him with a mixture of confusion and horror. She probably thought he had lost it. He didn't care.

The monster, caught of guard, hesitated in his killing. In a second, Jason kicked at hard as he could at the thing's head. The noise that erupted from it's mouth was an ear-piercing shriek. Before he could get his wits about him, the head had drawn back and his world was tipped sideways. With a sudden horror, he realized that the water below his feet was getting closer. With a terrible realization, he knew what it was going to do. It was going to drown him.

His grip on Coraline tightened, drawing forth a squeak of protest from her. There was only time to take one big breath before he was turned upside-down. He looked over at Coraline, her face was pale-white and every freckle on her face stood out. And she was running out of breath. Then he was suspended into the air once more, hanging limply from the thing's neck.

Then, he took a terrible risk. He let go of the neck, and propelled himself backwards into the air. Letting the momentum carry him, he performed a perfect backflip. The added weight of Coraline made it a little difficult to pull off. He landed on the beast's back with a thud, but the weight made him lose his balance. He landed face first in it's rubbery skin.

Some shouting to his left, shifted his attention to a tan boy with messy brown hair. Wybie. Suddenly a shiny object came twirling at him. It rotated in the air, a perfect spiral. The sun glinted off it making the thing look deadly sharp. His pocket knife!

Catching it in mid-air, he released his hold on Coraline. And, with two hands on the handle, he plunged the silver blade into the base of the neck. Immediately, green dust started spilling from the neck wound. He found himself falling towards the water. For the third time in one day, he was falling towards water.

**I declare this Chapter officially done! Oh and thank you so much for all your reviews you guys are so amazing! When I saw how many reviews i got i nearly fell out of my chair! And i was laying down! That takes skill! Well anyway! I have enabled anonymous reviews so don't worry about not having an account! STAY BEAUTIFUL PPL! =D**


	11. Only One Can Be Saved

**Okay sorry for not updating. Finals should die. Anyway Thank you guys so much for reviewing and staying with me for so long =D - get microphone - LADIES AND GENTLEMEN I WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE OUR REVIEWERS FOR THIS CHAPTER! Nobody Understands, WybiE'z KiDnaPpeR, uhh897, talking black kitty of night, coolzxwarms9898, cat person 567, one girl person786! THANKS EVERYONE AND HAVE A GOOD DAY!**

**DISCLAIMER**

**Heartflower: Hey Coraline!**

**Coraline: LEAVE ME ALONE!**

**Heartflower: NEVER! I WILL HAUNT YOU UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE!**

**Coraline: Stalker! Get away from me!**

**Heartflower: Alright I just wanted you to know that Wybie is being tortured. But Whatever I'll leave you alone**

**Coraline: WHAT! - runs out of room -**

**Heartflower: Oh Coraline! - gets out a huge guacamole bomb -**

**Coraline: NO!**

**Heartflower: - throws at Coraline - I DISCLAIM YOU!**

**Coraline: - JERKWAD!**

**Heartflower: Aw you're so nice to me! Anyway onto the story.**

Wybie watched as the thing exploded into dust. Then there was screaming. Coraline and Buttonboy were falling towards the water. Immediately, he moved toward his blue-haired best friend. With a sudden thought, he looked towards the button-boy falling through the air. Both were in trouble, but only one of them was his friend.

Without a second thought, he swam over to where Coraline was falling. Just in time. He flipped onto his back and braced himself to the impact. Her screams gut louder and her landing was like a punch in the stomach. Pain hit him like a ton of bricks and made him reel backward.

He gathered himself together just as Buttonboy was landing. Flinching, he watched as the boy fell towards some jagged rocks. Water that splashed against the weather-beaten rocks appeared white. The current over there was so strong, there was no way anyone could have survived it.

Guilt knocked him in the head, as he watched. The poor guy landed right in the middle of some huge rocks where the current was the strongest. He clenched his teeth as the guy rammed right into the rocks.

Unable to look any longer, he turned away from the scene and and back to Coraline. Grabbing onto her arm, he headed back to shore. He couldn't help noticing Coraline looking back over her shoulder the whole time. Why the heck was she so concerned? She doesn't even know his name. He knew it shouldn't bother him, but for some reason it did. A lot.

He trudged onto the shore, Coraline in tow, and flopped down onto the hot sand. Exhausted, he looked up at the sky filled with puffs of clouds. He remembered looking up at clouds on boring summer days, pointing out different shapes in the clouds with his best friend. The only thing missing from the scene, was Coraline herself.

Sitting up, he looked around for the missing blue head. He spotted her sitting on the sand a few feet away from the water. Sighing, he got up and walked over to her. The expression on her face was blank like she was trying not to think about anything.

Sinking down on the ground, he watched tiny clams dig into the sand after waves came in. Not knowing what to say, he allowed them to sit in an awkward silence. He wish he knew the right thing to say to make her laugh. Instead of saying anything, he just set his hand on her shoulder. After all, what can you say to a person who had just seen someone die.

Standing up, he walked to the edge of the jungle. "Come on Coraline!" he called, trying to be as cheerful as possible. He could tell she was sad, but they had to find a way back. Without looking, he knew Coraline had followed him. What was with her anyway? Sure death is sad and all, but she acts like she knew the guy! Taking a big breath, he stepped towards the jungle.

**Alright guys thats the end of Chapter 11 hope you liked it. Thank you guys so much for reviewing I really appreciate it! And for everyone else reading the story, I pushed the little button that allows people without an account to review! Isn't that awesome! Thank you everyone! =D**


	12. Facing the Rapids of Death

**HEY GUYS! I'm back =D - awesome cool story theme music - i guess you know what time it is! - somebody yells ADVENTURE TIME! - NO! SHOUT OUT TIME! I would like to thank Nobody Understands, talking black kitty of night, WybiE'z KiDnaPpeR, 3 face person, coolzxwarmz09879, uhh897, Ilovefanfictionsomuch!, beware of the turtles, and Button Eyed Doll.**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Heartflower: YOU FILED A RESTRAINING ORDER!**

**Coraline: yep**

**Heartflower: WHY?**

**Coraline: Because you abuse me on a regular basis!**

**Heartflower: NO I DONT!**

**Coraline: Then what do you call the paint gun attack**

**Heartflower: A PRANK!**

**Coraline: Whatever I still got one! - waves restraining order in the air -**

**Heartflower: GIVE ME THAT! - snatches papers away -**

**Coraline: DON'T RIP IT!**

**Heartflower: FINE! - gets out explosives - THIS IS WHAT I THINK OF YOUR RESTRAINING ORDER!**

**Coraline: NO!**

**Heartflower: - blows up papers and laughs maniacally - ONTO THE STORY!**

Jason tried to scream as he bashed into a rock. White water splashed all around him, tossing him around like a ragdoll. All around him, jagged rocks rose from the water like spears. In his mind, he could see his body splattered all over the mossy stones, beaten, bloody, dead.

Limbs sore from struggling against the current in vain, he went limp. He allowed the current to take him. Almost immediately, it pulled him under. Instinctively, he immediately started swimming his way up to the surface, trying to get back to the air-filled world above.

The second he broke surface, a huge chunk of rock appeared right in front of him. Swerving to the right, he barely missed the awful collision. He looked back at the jagged rock that was almost the end of him. Relief pounded through his mind.

Suddenly, his vision swam and pain exploded on the side of his head. Blood running down the side of his face, latched his fingers onto the rock he crashed into. The current pulled at him with so much force he nearly let go. He could feel is grip slipping. There was nothing he could do. His hand was ripped away from the rock.

With a sudden rush, the current took him. His throat burned from swallowing so much saltwater, and his body hurt all over from smashing into the rocks. Soaked and bleeding, he began to lose hope that he would survive. Why does the bad stuff always happen to him?

Pain rocketed up his spine as his back crashed into a huge boulder and black spots danced across his vision. Before he could collect himself again, he tumbled forward and breathed in a lungful of water. Frantically, he clawed his way to the surface.

Gasping for air, his mind went through all the possibilities of escaping this tragedy. It wasn't looking very good. Shutting everything else, a strange calm washed over him. Able to think more clear, he remembered the pocket knife. He hesitated, knowing that he will be risking stabbing himself in these cursed rapids. The appearance of yet another jagged spear of death, finalized his decision.

He fished it from his pocket and flipped open the silver blade. Shifting it from hand to hand he allowed himself to be swept up by the current. He watched as it got closer and closer. In a flash, right at the last second, he took the knife and jammed it into a crevice in the rock.

Flinching, his head slammed into the jagged surface of the rock, his body following suit. Somehow, he had kept his grip on the knife and stay hanging on a rock. The water pulled at him, trying to send him to a watery grave. He resisted, hugging the rock for dear life. His foot scraped up against the jagged surface of the rock, struggling to find a foothold.

Finding a place to put his foot, he took a deep breath. He reached his arm as far as he could and groped around for a place he could latch onto. Found one. Letting go of his grip on the knife, he took a second to rest. Withdrawing the blade from its crevice, he jammed it into another one further up. Then, he searched for a foothold for his other foot. He found won slightly higher than the other one. Perfect. Groaning with the effort, he began hauling himself up the rockface.

Clenching his teeth, he pulled himself onto the top of the rock. Standing up straight, he looked down at the swift moving rapids. He became aware of how close he had been to death when he saw the jagged wall of rocks stretched out right in front of the rock he was on. No openings. No breaks. No gaps in the rocks. He would have been dead.

Weak from his struggle in the water, he just wanted to crumple up on the rock and rest. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind beat at him, making him lose his footing. He flailed his arms, trying to regain his balance. It was no use. He was falling head first back into the fast moving water.

A great pain exploded on the side of his head, as he struck the rock below. Black threatened to invade his mind as he tumbled into the water. Not bothering to fight his way to the surface, the current sent him twisting and turning through the water. He tried to battle with the darkness, tried to make himself take action. He couldn't.

All of a sudden, he could feel gritty sand underneath him. Pushing back the dark entirely he struggled to his feet. He had made it. Stumbling onto shore, he doubled over on the sand and coughed up all the saltwater in his stomach. His throat was burning and his head was bleeding, but he was alive. Somehow, he had escaped death once more.

Gathering himself, he quickly surveyed his surroundings. Confused, he stared at two sets of footprints embedded in the sand. They were heading toward the thick jungle of undergrowth. Suddenly he remembered. Coraline and Wybie. He followed the tracks with his eyes, dread filling his stomach. They had gone into the jungle. Taking a breath, he knew he had to go after them. There was no way they would survive the night without his help. Ignoring the tiredness in his legs, he headed for the trees. Taking one last look at the beach, he took a step into the dark undergrowth.

**End of Chapter 12! I know you guys really wanted to know what happened next, so there you go! Wish granted! Thank you guys so much for your reviews! It means a lot! And for everyone else reading this story, don't be too shy to review for yourselves. Who knows? I might just be encouraged to update faster… Anyway I also enabled anonymous reviews so you don't have to have an account to review.**


	13. The Lion Girl

**Hey Everyone! Hope you had a Happy New Year! - Fireworks! - Anyway! Shoutout time! I wanna thank, Nobody Understands, WybiE'z KiDnaPpeR, beware of the turtle, talking black kitty of night, Button Eyed Doll, uhh867, coolzxwarmz09879! Thnx all!**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Heartflower: Hey Coraline!**

**Coraline: GET AWAY FROM ME!**

**Heartflower: Aw come on its the new year! Lets be nice to each other…**

**Coraline: Yea like thats gonna happen!**

**Heartflower: Fine have it your way. - smiles evilly and pushes button on a remote -**

**Coraline: Wait what are you doing?**

**Heartflower: Happy New Years Coraline!**

**Coraline: - gets hit in the back with water balloons -**

**Heartflower: ALRIGHT ONTO THE STORY!**

Coraline stumbled through the undergrowth that conquered the ground. The air shimmered with heat, and the trees up above did little to make it any cooler. Sweat beaded on her pale skin, causing bugs to swarm around her. Absently she swatted at them, trying to keep them away from her face. Her orange pajamas clung to her skin, making her very uncomfortable. She blindly followed her best friend through the jungle, lost in thought.

She felt horrible, after all it was her fault the button-eyed boy died. If she hadn't have gone back into the water with the stupid idea she could get back home, he wouldn't be smeared all over a bunch of rocks. Why does she always have to do something stupid?

Pushing those thoughts away, her mind drifted to her best friend. She noticed her friend stomping through the jungle, like he was angry or something. Was he mad at her for causing the boy's death? He was clenching his fists, turning his knuckles white, and when she caught sight of his face, there was a look of irritation. Her heart sunk, and she shifted her gaze to the ground.

Suddenly, she bumped into something hard. Wybie. Confused, she looked up. Why had they stopped? She got her answer when she peered out from behind her black-clad best friend. There, staring coldly at then with black buttons in the shadows of the bushes, was the biggest cat she'd seen her life.

She had been to zoos before when she was real little, watching the animals lounge about in their man-made habitats and chain-link fences. None of that could have prepared her mind for this. The creature, gazing at them hungrily from the shadows, it was huge and there were no cages or fences to keep it from ripping them to shreds. It's golden fur was dappled by the sunlight filtering in from the leaves, making the fur shine with brilliance. Her blood ran cold, as she gazed at its long yellow fangs. They hung down from the monsters face. Gleaming and dangerous. Its face was twisted into a snarl, and it looked like its mission was to kill.

Coraline, shrunk away from the creature. Fear settled into her heart. A feeling that was becoming all to familiar to her. She watched as it threw back its horrible head and erupted from its mouth a thunderous roar. With one swift motion, the creature bunch up his muscles and sprang.

Time slowed down to a stop, as it flew through the air. Right towards them. It's mouth was open in a terrible roar. Coraline and Wybie backed away, terrified,until their backs hit a the rough surface of a palm tree. She looked over at her best friend, trembling beside her. He had his hands over his face, shielding it from the scene.

Suddenly, time sped up as something sprouted in it's side. A look of pure terror washed over the saber-tooth's face, and it fell in mid-air. Staggering forward a few steps, it's buttons became cloudy and it fell towards the ground. Exploding into fine golden dust, its two cloudy black buttons and the thing that killed it, fell to the ground.

Astonished, she took a tentative step towards the pile of dust. There, amongst the dust, was the shaft of an arrow. She leaned down and picked it up, hands shaking. The tip of it was razor sharp. The surface of the arrow head was a glossy black, glinting in the hot sun.

Suddenly, a form emerged from the bushes, hands on their hips. The figure stared at them with big black buttons. The person was a girl with carmel brown hair, a splash of freckles ran across her nose. One part of her hair in front was dyed an electric blue color. In her hands was a finely made bow. Her light blue tank top and jean shorts stood out against the jungle. She stared at them for a second before holding out her hand to them. "Hi my name is Rachel!"

**Sorry this came late everyone! Plz plz plz plz forgive me! :( On the upside, Ive gotten inspired so I might start updating more quickly! =D Anyway please review peoples!**


	14. The Secret Clearing

**Hi peoples I'm back! Told ya I would update soon! Oh I also changed the new characters appearance and name, so you might wanna check that out. I'm happy today. Not that you really need to know that… Anyway, lets see - looks at checklist - Oh yea! SHOUT OUT TIME! I would like to thank Nobody Understands, Buttoneyed Doll, WybiE'z KiDnaPpeR, Butterflies Of Blue and talking black kitty of night. Thank you people. For Jawzie337: I admit that your review brought me down a little, but I figure that I shouldn't stop writing just because somebody says my writing is bad. I mean come on this is a fanfiction site, nobody's writing is exactly like the style the authors use. So, yeah I'm going to keep writing, and I'm going to be proud of it!**

**DISCLAIMER**

**Heartflower: CORALINE CORALINE CORALINE CORALINE CORALINE!**

**Coraline: WHAT!**

**Heartflower: Nothing! I just like annoying you!**

**Coraline: UGH! WHY!**

**Heartflower: Cuz it's fun!**

**Coraline: Just leave me alone and write your stupid story!**

**Heartflower: IT'S NOT STUPID! - takes out jelly shooter -**

**Coraline: NOT AGAIN!**

**Heartflower: TAKE IT BACK!**

**Coraline: OK OK I TAKE IT BACK DON'T SHOOT!**

**Heartflower: YOU DONT MEAN IT! - shoots Coraline with gun - Anyway Onto the story!**

Wybie stared at the girl before them, dumbfounded. Realizing that his mouth was open, he clamped it shut. The girl seemed to hesitate before striding up to his blue-haired best friend and plucking the arrow from her hands. In one swift movement, the girl, who apparently was named Rachel, notched the arrow into her bow. "Thanks for picking up my arrow for me." the girl exclaimed. Wybie, not knowing how to respond, kept his mouth shut. He shared a glance with Coraline, her expression mirroring his. _Who was this person?_

The girl named Rachel, stepped back, as if sizing them up. Wybie held his breath, hoping that the girl won't decide to kill them. He trained his eyes at her bow, which was lowered to the ground. A sign that she wouldn't hurt them, yet. It's cream colored wood was a little rough, indicating that she might have made it herself.

His gaze snapped back up to the weapon's wielder, as she started to walk slowly around them. Alarm rang in his head, as she watched the button-eyed girl inspect them, as if decided wether they were worthy enough to live. Shuddering at the thought, he tried to straighten up his back so his slouch wasn't so bad. He didn't have any wish to be on the receiving end of that arrow.

He could hear the strange girl muttering to herself, as she slowly walked a circle around them. He craned his head towards the girl, straining to make out what she was saying, he could only catch a few words. "Again?… given up… that witch… how are they… help us… not much…" Confused, he tried to figure out what it meant.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice when the girl had stopped talking. Realizing this, he snapped his attention back to the girl. His eyes met her accusing stare, and he got the feeling that she knew he had been eavesdropping. Embarrassed, his gaze shifted to the ground in front of him. He didn't want to meet that accusing gaze again.

He could tell by the sound of her footsteps, that she had begun walking again. Suddenly she stopped in front of them, hands back on her hips. "So what are your names!" he heard her say. Wybie opened his mouth, trying to find his voice again. He was relived when Coraline stepped forward. "My name is Coraline Jones and this is my friend Wybie." she said,a tinge of anxiety in her voice. Suddenly, Wybie had a thought that maybe they shouldn't have told the girl their names. He shrugged. Nothing he can do about it now.

The girl fixed them with an intense stare, which made Wybie fidget uncomfortably. Then in one quick motion she turned around and headed back into the forest. Wybie stared after her, not knowing what to do. The strange girl turned back to face them. "Aren't you coming?" she asked, gazing at them with button eyes. After sharing a quick glance with Coraline, he followed as she stepped toward the girl.

With a smirk on her face, Wybie watched as she wheeled around and started marching through the undergrowth. They walked in silence, which was perfectly okay with Wybie. He needed to sort through all of the jumbled thoughts in his mind. Letting his mind drift, he thought about the strange things the girl muttered while circling them.

Soon, the grass underfoot gave way to rocks, and they started walking up the side of a mountain. The mountain looked like its top had been chopped off, and further up he could see steam rising from the rocks. The were walking up the side of a volcano. Shuddering from the thought of it exploding, he ran a little to catch up with his best friend.

Wybie followed close behind the strange girl, hoping that she would lead them away from the volcano. Instead, she led them to an opening in the hard rock surface. He watch Coraline hesitate before slipping into the darkness. Then, it was just him. He stared at the gaping mouth of the cave, afraid to go in. Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that Coraline had already gone in, and he was not going to leave her with some button-eyed girl carrying a bow. Suppressing the fear inside him, he took a step into the darkness.

The darkness swallowed him, and he had a brief moment of panic. He ran his fingers along the walls, the rough surface was warm, the cause of the fact that they were in a volcano. Suddenly, he bumped into something hard. It made a small squeak of surprise and elbowed him in the ribs. "Watch where your going Jerkwad!" Despite the pain in his ribs, he was relieved to hear her voice.

As they were walking, they began to see a bright light in the distance. Sunlight. Eagerness to get out of this darkness, washed over him and he began to walk a little faster. Wybie emerged into the brightness, and blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the light.

He found himself standing in a small clearing where the trees cast a shade over the ground. Running swiftly and silently alongside the edge of the clearing was a little stream. A breeze swept through the trees, making the leaves sway. The light filtering in through the leaves overhead dappled the ground with light.

Wybie watched as the Rachel girl gathered up some wood into a pile. The girl brought out two black rocks and struck them together, creating a spark. A few seconds later, a burning fire licked its flame across the wood. The girl stood up and dusted her hands off before placing them on her hips. "Alright talk."

**Alright this chapter is officially done! Next chapter is going to be a really important one, so if you want me to write fast, maybe you could review. -winks- Oh and don't worry about not having an account because anonymous reviews is enabled. BYE YALL! Thnx so much!**


	15. The Mystery Unravels

**Alright guys I'm back with more! So before I begin, I would like to send a special shout out to coolzandwarms9898 for being my 100th reviewer! Yay! - gives a rose and a hug - I would also like to thank: talking black kitty of night, InsaneGummiBears, WybiE'z KidNapPer, Button Eyed Doll, James Birdsong, uhh897, Morgan, beware of turtles, and last but NOT least, Articfoxtrails! YAY!**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Heartflower: Hey Coraline! Guess Guess Guess What!**

**Coraline: What the heck do you want this time!**

**Heartflower: I got a new nerf gun!**

**Coraline: Oh Joy. - rolls eyes -**

**Heartflower: - Gets nerf gun out of closet -**

**Coraline: Wow that a um… big gun**

**Heartflower: Uh huh. - stares evilly at Coraline -**

**Coraline: Wha…. NO!**

**Heartflower: YES! RUN CORALINE RUN! - shoots nerf gun - Onto the story!**

Coraline stared at the girl, disbelievingly. Forgetting the potential threat of getting shot with an arrow, she took a defiant step towards the girl. "Or what?" she asked, sticking her face up in the Buttongirl's tan one. There was a blur of movement from the mysterious girl, and suddenly Coraline was on the ground. The girl was looking down at her, a smirk on her face.

The girl stepped away from her, and offered her a hand. Staring at it for a second, she slapped it away and shakily got to her feet. She sent a withering glare in the girls way. The girl didn't even blink. This girl was annoying her more and more by the second. She sneaked a glance at Wybie, who was watching the whole scene with wide eyes.

Face burning with humiliation, she turned back to the girl. The girl was staring expectantly at them, one eyebrow raised. Rolling her eyes at the girl, she took a deep breath. "We fell down a stupid well with some other dude and then you abducted us and threatened us with your stupid toy!," she said, a smirk painted onto her face. She watched as the girl clenched her fists in frustration.

The girl was glaring venomously at her, like she wanted so bad to strangle the life out of her. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she glared back with just as much venom. "Try again!" the girl said, shifting her bow. Stepping forward, she opened her mouth to fire a retort, but just then Wybie spoke up. "Alright we'll talk!" Coraline, whipped her head around to look at Wybie, who was currently wringing his hands nervously.

Throwing an irritated look at Wybie, she clamped her mouth shut and stepped away from the girl. This girl was really getting on her nerves. How dare she threaten them with that stupid weapon! She even had the nerve to humiliate her in front of her best friend.

Coraline stood with her arms folded, glaring daggers at the girl, who was now listening intently to Wybie's nervous sounding voice. Why did he sound so nervous? Maybe it was because she had threatened them with a bow. Tuning out Wybie, she watched the girl's reaction to what they had been through. Dismay flashed across the girl face as Wybie was recounting what had happened to the boy, but was gone so quickly that Coraline questioned wether she had really seen it.

Silence filled the air after Wybie had finished telling their tale, as they both waited for Rachel to say something. Coraline watched, bored, as the girl paced back and forth in front of them. She heard Wybie clear his throat nervously, and the girl looked up surprised, as if she had forgotten they were there. "Sit" she commanded them, gesturing with her arm towards the ground. "We aren't dogs!" Coraline retorted, receiving another murderous glare from the girl. Then, she felt Wybie pull her to the ground, with a shut-up-or-you-will-get-us-killed, look on his face.

Once Coraline, and Wybie were settled on the ground in front of the fire, the girl dropped her weapon and sat on the other side of the burning flames. The setting sun, made the trees cast long shadows over the whole scene. Absently, the girl picked up a stick and started poking at the burning logs. It looked as if she was trying to gather her thoughts.

Without looking away from the girl, her pale hand searched around for her best friend's tan one. She gripped his hand tightly, it was something she did when she was scared. Suddenly the girl looked up. "Have you ever heard of a Beldam?" the girl asked, staring at them, a weird look on her face.

Coraline scoffed, and stared at her disbelievingly. "Of course I have! I defeated her!" she exclaimed haughtily, sticking her nose in the air proudly. She saw Wybie roll his eyes at her and elbowed him in the side. The girl looked unimpressed. "Remember how powerful she was?" the girl asked. Coraline stared at her, wondering where she was going with this. "Um yeah…. Why?" Coraline replied, not seeing the point in all this. "Imagine that power multiplied by ten." the girl said thoughtfully. "That would be extremely powerful!" Wybie piped up beside her.

The girl smiled at her best friend. "That is the ruler of this realm." Rachel said, pointing her finger at them. Coraline gulped , and stared at the finger in her face. "But I thought that was the Beldam…" she said uncertainly. The girl poked the fire with her stick, sending a shower of embers rising to the sky. "No, they are just her pawns, people she trained to do her bidding." she stated, poking the fire some more. "What do you mean trained?" Coraline asked, puzzled. She watched Rachel, who seemed not to hear the question.

A few seconds passed, the shadows from the trees had grown longer during their talk. The firelight danced across Rachel's face, making the girl's hair shine like gold. Coraline fidgeted a little, tired of waiting for an answer. Finally, the girl took a deep breath. "I meant exactly that. The Master takes teenagers from reality, and brings them here so she can train them. Everyone's aura is strongest when they are teenagers. So, She takes them, and marks them," she girl said, and turned her tan arm over to reveal three thin scars. The so called marking consisted of two lines side by side to each other, and another scar crossing both diagonally.

Coraline looked up at the button-eyed girl, noticing the weird look of pain on her face, as if she were reliving the moment when she had been given those scars. "When she marks you, she has given you some of her power. Power to manipulate and transform. Power to create worlds. Power to transform into… her," she said, not looking either of them in the face. "Then She trains you to use that power, and slowly turning you into her mindless slave in the process. Until you don't think unless she tells you to think. She becomes your master, your boss," the girl explained, staring burning fire as if she could see through it.

Swallowing uncomfortably, she tried to process everything the girl was telling her. "So, that should mean you are training with her too." Coraline stated, putting the facts together. "Was training with her, until me and Jason escaped" she said solemnly. "How?" Coraline asked, curious. The girl fidgeted with her stick, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. "The Master trains us in pairs, usually a guy and a girl working together, according to how far along we are in training. I was paired with Jason, together we were the latest trainees. We were able to think for ourselves, and we started to plan our escape. All it took was a fight between another pair to cause enough confusion for us to escape. After our escape, we spent days hiding from Her spies. Until we find this place. We've been hiding here ever since," the girl said, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them.

Coraline stared at Rachel, who had seemed so threatening before. Studying the girl, she noticed something was hanging around the button girl's neck. "Whats that?" she asked, pointing to the thing around her neck. Rachel looked up at her before taking the thing off and handing it to her. It was a silver key shaped like a button. "It unlocks the world that was supposed to be mine. At least that's what She said. My own world to trick kids into giving up their lives in reality just to get their lives sucked out of them," she explained bitterly. Coraline turned the key around in her hand, inspecting it. Suppressing a shudder, she handed it back to it's owner. The silver chain glinted in the light of the fire. Without a word, the girl put i back on.

Questions buzzed through Coraline's mind, making her head hurt. Taking a deep breath, she decided to ask the one that she thought most important. "Is there a way to get back home?" she asked, crossing her fingers. "Of course, but only the Master knows where it is," the girl responded without taking her eyes off the wavering flames. "Well, have you ever tried to look for it?" Coraline asked. "Of course I have looked for it! I've spent whole nights trying to find the stupid thing! Have I ever tried to look for it…" she trailed off as a twig snapped behind them.

Before they could blink, the girl had grabbed her bow and was kneeling on the ground, prepared for whatever was about to come out of those bushes. A branch was pushed out of the way and a familiar figure emerged from the dark undergrowth. Giving a weak smile, the figure took a step forward. "Jason!" she heard the girl exclaim, and suddenly the button-eyed girl was running up to him and tackling the boy with a hug.

**Alright guys, sorry this one took so long to write. I'm not extremely sure if you will like this one, so I'm crossing my fingers. Please review and tell me what you think. If I get a lot of people saying this was confusing I'll rewrite it okie? Thnx everyone you guys are the best!**


	16. A Dangerous Plan

**Alright peoples! I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! Please forgive me! *puppy dog eyes* OH! You know what time it is!=D Shout out time! I would like to thank InsaneGummiBears, talking black kitty of night, Rose, WybiE'Z KidNapPer, CarminaxBuranax, Button Eyed Doll, beware of the turtle, Nicole Harbor of Earth! THNX PPLS!**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Heartflower: CORALINE! COME OUT TO PLAY!**

**Coraline: - under bed -**

**Heartflower: Hmm… Guess she's not in here… - acts like leaving and closes door -**

**Coraline: - comes out from under bed -**

**Heartflower: AHA! - tackles coraline -**

**Coraline: Get offa me!**

**Heartflower: NO! I Have to disclaim you!**

**Coraline: Can't you do that without sitting on me!**

**Heartflower: NOPE! Alright I don't own this lump of annoyingness right here**

**Coraline: See? This is why I don't like you! NOW GET OFF! -pushes off and runs out of room -**

**Heartflower: Wow… Anyway! NOW FOR THE MAIN EVENT!**

Jason let out a cry of surprise as he was knocked onto his back. Staring into the shining face of his best friend, he sat up. "I see you're happy to see me," he said, smiling. He watched as Rachel's face turned red, amusement flickering in his eyes. Smirking, he pulled her into an embrace, overjoyed to see her again. Over her shoulder, he saw Coraline and Wybie watching the scene with what appeared like shock. Pulling away, he waited for Rachel to get off. Taking her hand, he allowed himself to be pulled onto his feet.

Still smiling "Miss me?" he asked jokingly. The boy looked at his with what couldn't be mistaken with anything but loathing. "Hey Buttonboy have a nice swim?" the boy said, smirking. "Oh yes, and I especially loved the almost dying part!" he exclaimed sarcastically. Ignoring the glare he received from the other boy, he turned to Coraline, who was staring at him as if he had come back from the dead. "Y-Y-you're.. You're not dead," the blue-haired stammered disbelievingly. Resisting the urge to laugh at her confusion, he shook his head no. "But… you… and… falling… the rocks…" the girl trailed off, noticing everyone was staring at her. "What? You'd rather me be dead, cuz I can just go try the rapids again if you want," he teased, making the girl blush.

Pretending he didn't see the girl's face turn red, he looked around for his best friend. Spotting her, he walked over, curious to see what she was doing. As soon as he stepped up to the stream, she looked up. "Sit" she commanded, pointing to the ground. He hesitated for a second, glancing at the two friends walking towards them, then slowly lowered himself onto the ground. Leaning against a rock, he watched as Rachel pulled out a brown piece of cloth out of the water and wring out the water. He shot her a quizzical look, but didn't say anything as she pressed it against the cut on his head.

He winced as the ice cold cloth was pressed onto his head, making the cut burn. While Rachel was cleaning out his wounds, he listened as she told him what happened while he wasn't there. Coraline and Wybie joined him on the ground, listening to his best friend's account of everything. He couldn't help noticing how Coraline stared at him like he was a hero, while Wybie stared at him like he wanted to squeeze the life out of him. "So you told them everything?" he asked when she had stopped talking. "Yes…" Rachel said, but he caught the slight shake of her head that meant she hadn't.

Jason looked over at the two, who were listening closely to what they said. "What do we do now?" he asked, glancing over at Coraline and Wybie. His best friend look disbelievingly at him. "Jason! We take them home!" she exclaimed, accidentally pressing too hard on his cut. But they can help-" he protested, getting cut off by another sting of pain. "No Jason, we are taking them home!" she scolded, throwing a look at him that said it was final. "But you heard what She said!" he argued. "Yeah, and what do you think will happen to them when she finds out the very people that destroyed her most prized slave, are in Her realm!" Rachel practically yelled.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air as they glared at each other. "Fine" he muttered reluctantly. "How?" he asked, staring at the stream beside him. He risked a glance at Rachel and saw her still glaring at him. "Through the portal, of course!" she exclaimed, throwing up her hand in exasperation. "What?" he asked, dumbly. His best friend looked at him disbelievingly. "Jason, you know where the portal is! Take us there" she ordered. What she was saying dawned on him. She thought he could lead them to it. "Rachel it's dangerous" he stated, remembering his own struggle to get to the portal and back to reality. A stupid attempt to get back home.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he remembered how his family had rejected him. The horror at his button eyes. With a sudden firmness, he knew he had to get these two back. "Alright, I'll do it" he said, cutting Rachel's rant short. "What?" she said, obviously surprised. Looking over at Coraline and Wybie, he noticed them hanging onto every word of their conversation. "I said I'll do it" he repeated, looking both of them in the face. Shifting a little, he grabbed a stick near him and started drawing a map of the headquarters in the soft ground.

Biting his lip in concentration, he circled a few areas on the drawing. He made sure he had everyone's attention before he began pointing to the circles with his stick. "There are six ways to get in and out of the headquarters," he said, pointing to each one. "The front door is not an option," he said, crossing the area out. "To get to this passage, we would need to climb the wall, so that is not an option. And these two are blocked off, so those can't be used either," he muttered, crossing the indicated ones out. "We can't use this passage either, because the Beldam knows it's there. So, that just leaves this entrance" he said, glancing up to see if they understood.

Waiting for the information to sink in, he tried to think of how they would be able to get to the portal. He was whisked away for a second in the memory of his own expedition to the portal. Pulled out of his thoughts by Rachel nudging him in the side, he noticed everyone staring at him. "Okay, so there are a few things you need to be aware of when we are going through the tunnel" he made sure everyone was listening before he continued, "For example, you need to be as quiet as you possible can, unless you want to attract the bats, her spies" he said, glancing up at Rachel whose caramel hair was hanging in front of her face. "Other things you need to watch out for, are the drop offs, you fall over the edge and you are dead. Thats it" he said seriously.

He looked up at the now very dark sky, and at the greenish stars overhead. "We can't do it tonight, cuz night is when She is at her full power" he stated, throwing the stick into the stream, causing the surface to ripple. "Get some sleep" he ordered the two buttonless teens. "We start at dawn" he told them. The Wybie kid opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but closed it again and began walking towards the warm fire.

Watching them closely, while they two settled on the ground, he tried not to think that his whole experience going through the portal was a waste. Closing his eyes he settled himself onto the ground, exhausted after the day's events. Realizing how tired he was, he lay on the ground and listened to the quiet rush of the stream moving along. He opened one eye as he heard someone come over. It was Rachel. She settled herself on the ground beside him, and he felt her rest her head against his chest. Smiling, his world dissolved into black.

**Again people, sorry for not updating in so long. I just couldn't get myself to write it. So, please tell me what you think. I'm not really sure wether or not you guys would like it...**


	17. Have to Keep Going

**Hey people! Guess who's back? I AM! How you people doin? Good? Alright so I guess it's time for SHOUT OUTS! talking black kitty of night, InsaneGummiBears, Button Eyed Doll, WybiE'z KidNapPer, DiedLaughing, beware of the turtle, Rose, and my sissy thecrazytagteam =D THNX U PPLS!**

**DISCLAIMER!**

**Heartflower: Alright Coraline come out**

**Coraline: NEVER!**

**Heartflower: Fine *picks up cellphone* Oh look its Coraline's cellphone!**

**Coraline: Hey gimme that!**

**Heartflower: Come out from under the bed then**

**Coraline: NO!**

**Heartflower: Oh look you got a message from someone**

**Coraline: Don't you dare! *gets out and takes cellphone away***

**Heartflower: I WIN *ties coraline to bed post***

**Coraline: REALLY!**

**Heartflower: Yes! I HEREBY DISCLAIM CORALINE JONES! NOW ONTO THE STORY!**

Rachel snapped into consciousness as she felt something moving underneath her. Warning bells rang in her head before the events of yesterday flooding back. Jason was smiling down at her and sweeping her carmel colored hair out of her face. "Mornin'" he whispered softly to her. She looked at him and gave him a sleepy smile. "Morning" she mumbled tiredly. Blushing a little, she lie there listening to his steady heartbeat and felt the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

Glancing up at the sky, she immediately jumped to her feet. "We gotta get going!" she exclaimed, pulling Jason off the ground. She looked at her reflection in the stream nearby and hastily ran her fingers through her hair, before picking up her bag an rifling through it. Pulling out a pocketknife, and some bright yellow fruit, she watched as Jason walked over to Wybie and Coraline and gently shook them awake.

Stuffing the pocketknife into her pocket, she went over to join the group standing around the remains of the fire from the night before. That Wybie kid was glaring hatefully at her best friend as she approached. She saw Jason glance at the stuff in her arms, probably checking if they had everything. "What about the rope?" Jason asked her, his eyes drifting to the worn out bag in which some rope could be seen falling out of it. "Do we need a rope?" she answered, crossing her arms. Jason smiled, amusement flickering in his button eyes. "Yes" he answered, striding over to the lopsided bag and withdrawing the rope from it.

Rolling her eyes, she turned back to the two buttonless figures who were rubbing the sleep out of their eyes and watching them expectantly. "Catch" she ordered, tossing each of them one of the yellow fruits she had got from the bag. Taking a bite out of one herself, she watched as they both inspected the fruit suspiciously before taking a bite. The sweet juice filled her mouth as she bit into the fruit, finishing it quickly, she felt energy flow through her.

Jason joined them, the rope tied securely around his waist like a belt. Raising an eyebrow at the way he decided to carry the belt, she rolled her eyes and turned to the two buttonless people, still eating the fruit. "Come on we don't have all day! Lets get moving!" she exclaimed walking off to the edge of the clearing, ignoring the glare issued by Coraline. Turning around, she waited while they both exchanged looks before following.

Rachel turned around abruptly, attending to lead them into the forest and came nose to nose with a smiling Jason. "Aren't I supposed to play leader?" he said, while smiling slightly. "Er… Yeah" she confirmed and motioned for him to lead the way. She watched as he turned away from her, a playful smirk still painted on his face. "Alright, let's go" he said taking a step into the wild jungle growth. Remembering at the last second, she doubled back and ran to snatch up her bow and arrows. She felt like they were going to need it sooner or later.

Rushing back to the group, she fell into step beside Jason and readjusted the quiver on her shoulder. Questions buzzed through her mind as she tried to find the right one to ask him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him go a little tense, as if he knew that she was about to start asking questions and was bracing himself it. She felt a prickle of irritation that he knew her so well. Shaking it off, she picked a question out that seemed to sum up all of her questions. "What happened when you got back home?" she asked tentatively. Watching him out of the corner of her eyes, she saw him stiffen and immediately wanted to take the question back, but instead she let it hang in the air between them.

Stealing a glance at her best friend, she noticed the sadness etched into his face and averted her eyes at once, she didn't like seeing her best friend sad. Swallowing nervously, she opened her mouth to take back her question. "I was rejected… Have you ever thought you would get used to everything having button eyes?" he asked with a faraway look, caught up in his own thoughts. Remaining silent, she decided not to answer. She looked at him with concern, as he gave a small bitter laugh. "No… you probably wouldn't have thought so… That's alright, I didn't either…" It was almost as if he were talking to himself. The tone of his voice unnerved her a bit, and she regretted asking her question.

Resisting the urge to stop walking and comfort him, she looked down at her feet, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. "I have though, gotten used to it, I mean… I didn't realize the mistake I had made… blinded by the excitement of being back… I was stupid" he said, still in that detached voice. "Jason… You don't have to tell me…" she said quietly, hoping that he would take the hint and stop. He didn't. "The key was under the mat, like it always is. We kept it there for when my dad loses his key. He was always losing his keys…" he trailed off again, and she was surprised to see a small smile on her best friend's face, but it vanished quickly.

Realizing it was useless to pull him out of his reverie, she didn't say a word. "They were in the kitchen… they always had coffee in the morning… and then they saw me… and they screamed…" he recalled, his voice strained. Alarmed at his tone, she placed her hand into his strong one, and gave it a comforting squeeze. "My dad ran to get the gun… fired it… he fired it at me…" his voice trailed off, and she looked up at his face. Deep sadness was etched into his face, and she wanted for it desperately to go away. "After I escaped… I remembered what She said Coraline had done… I thought she could help us… but, I just caused trouble… I wasn't thinking… but I'll never forget the look on my parents face…" his voice broke off, choked with sadness.

Looking at her best friend's misery brought up a surge of hatred within her. She hated the Master for everything that happened. Hated how she took kids from there homes. Hated how she ruined their lives. In that moment nothing would suit her needs more than to see that monster suffer. She would not call that creature master anymore. That thing is not her master, and she is not her slave. "Anguis" she whispered, and she knew that it was true. That creature was a snake, vile and deadly. "Anguis" she repeated louder. Sharing an understanding look with Jason, she knew he agreed.

Suddenly, she felt something grab onto her arm and instinctively twisted it sideways. She stopped in the act of flipping the thing over when she noticed it was Jason. "What?" she whispered, as he pulled her behind him. Instead of replying, she watched as he pushed back some branches. There is was, standing high on the cliffside dark and foreboding, its very aura wicked. It's blackened stone walls stood out against the green of the jungle growth. Bit's of shale was scattered all along the bottom of the cliff. To one side stood a beach, creating a salty tang on the air. The waters were inky black. It's dark spires reached at the sky, and the clouds above it swirled with darkness. That was the serpents liar, and they were walking right into her pointed fangs.

A sense of danger washed over her, and she took a step back, wanting to turn around and run away as fast as she could. She couldn't though. If she bailed, then Jason wouldn't have any backup. Realizing she had been holding her breath, she let it out. She noticed Jason staring at her, a look on his face that was checking if she was okay. Giving a tiny nod so that he understood, she looked back towards the huge castle. She watched as Jason took a cautious step onto the sandy rock covered ground, before following him. Her eyes darted from side to side, trying to make sure there were none of her spies lurking anywhere. Out here there was no cover, no trees that could shield them from the eyes of the Anguis. They were sitting ducks.

The only sound that could be heard was the crunching of shale beneath their feet as they were led across the rocky strip of land. Every step they took, a growing sense of dread was settling in her mind. Suddenly, Jason pushed her to the ground behind a rocky outcropping. A little caught of guard she looked around, wondering why he did that. Then a horrible screeching filled her ears, and she hurriedly clapped her hands over them, trying to block out the sound. A huge black bat soared above where they were hiding, and swooped off towards the castle's tallest tower, disappearing inside one of the caste's windows. Panic filled her. They had been found out for sure. Found out by one of the Anguis spies. Her resolve melted away, and she turned around and started running.

A hand caught her arm, stopping her in her tracks. Looking back, she saw the arm belonged to Jason, she tugged on her arm, trying to break free. "I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't do it Jason" she whispered over and over, her voice sounded hysterical as she pulled on her arm. Her face met his, full of warmth and understanding. A face she knew so well. His hand reached out and brushed away a strand of hair from her face. "Yes you can" he whispered, his voice soothing. All her fears seamed to drift away, and she wrapped her arms around him. After a few seconds, she felt Jason's arms wrap gently around her, while she tried to slow her racing heart.

Rachel took a shuddering breath, trying to control herself again. "We have to get back to the others" she heard Jason whisper. She looked up into his face and nodded slowly. Pulling away, she wiped at her eyes and looked up at her best friend, who was holding her bow out to her. Smiling slightly in gratitude, she took it and slung it onto her back. It must have slid off her shoulder when she tried to flee. When she looked back at him he was holding his hand out. Taking it, they both walked back to Coraline and Wybie who had confused looks on their faces.

Heat rushed to her face as they approached the others, embarrassed by what had just happened. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jason giving them a defiant look, as if daring either of them to comment on her sudden breakdown. Taking a deep breath, she held her head up confidently, meeting the questioning stares Coraline and Wybie were giving her. She felt Jason give her hand a gentle squeeze, and glanced sideways at him. The look on his face was gentle and understanding, and she felt the warmth in her face recede a little. As long as Jason was there, everything would be fine. Without another word, they all set off across the shale-covered terrain.

As they walked nearer and nearer to the cliff, the feeling of evil grew stronger. Griping Jason's hand tight, she focused on the ocean which was towards the right of them. Black water crashed onto the shore, leaving behind bits of black seaweed on the sand. Her foot caught on something and she lurched forward, towards the ground. Before she could land face first on the rocky ground, a strong arm was there to catch her. "Watch where your goin" Jason said, a playful smirk danced on his face. Rolling her eyes, she realized that stye were right in front of the cliffside. The steep wall rose up, the rocks were crumbling in some places. Were they supposed to climb that? She sent a questioning look in Jason's direction, but he wasn't paying attention. Making no sound, she watched as Jason motioned with his free hand to follow him.

They turned right, heading towards the shore where the black waves crashed violently. It wasn't until they had gotten there did she see the huge rocks sticking out of the surface. Some of the rocks were spaced really close to each other, and some were really far apart. Suddenly she realized what he wanted them to do. He wanted us to jump across on the rocks, like stepping stones. Gasping at the task before them, she turned her gaze to Jason, who was staring cross the rocks with determination. They shared a glance, and as if they had given a silent command, both jumped onto the first stone.

The wind rushed past her as she flew trough the air. Just as soon as she was airborne, she landed with a thud, causing her to let go of Jason's hand. Scrambling onto her feet, she moved out of the way to make space for Coraline and Wybie. She watched as they hesitated, before jumping at the same time. Both landed with a thud, and got up with dazed looks on their faces. Turning around, she faced the next rock, and jumped and landed neatly on the second one. Jason was already there, and they both watched as the other two jumped across. There were three more rocks, separating them from there destination. Black water swirled and foamed beneath them. She tried not to think of landing in the dark and wicked water as she jumped onto the next rock. Just two more to go. Breathing heavily, she leaped onto the next one, collapsing onto the surface.

A strong arm pulled her onto her feet, and she was looking the concerned face of Jason. Giving him a small smile, she turned around and watched Wybie and Coraline, making sure they made it safely. She turned around and was grateful to see the other side. Just one more jump. Her mouth fell open when she realized how far they would have to jump. she walked to the edge of the rock, but it didn't make the distance any less far. Suddenly, she saw someone run past her and jump across the hugs gap. It was Jason. Crossing her fingers, she mouthed a quick prayer that he would make it. She let out a sigh of relief, as Jason landed, stumbling on the other side. Glancing back at the other two she wondered how they would get across.

Turning around, hands on her hips, she tried to appear confident, like she knew what she was doing. An idea suddenly popped into her mind. "Alright heres what we are going to do," she said, making sure she had their attention before continuing, "You are going to start from over there" she said, gesturing to the opposite side. "Then you will run as fast as you can. I am going to be near the edge kneeling with my hands out to provide a flat surface. You are to try launching yourself off of my hands. I will be helping you." she said, not knowing wether or not that made sense to them. Waiting for their nods of acknowledgement, she kneeled down at the very edge of the rock. "Wybie you first, she ordered, holding out her hands. She braced herself as he ran at her, and the second he had placed both of his feet onto her hand, she pushed upwards, helping him propel himself to the other side. A rush of relief passed through her as she saw Jason catch the buttonless boy and put him down.

Looking back at Coraline, she nodded at the blue-haired girl. "Alright your turn" she said, getting back into position. Waiting for Coraline to start running, she looked into the girls fearful face and sent her an encouraging smile. Then suddenly the girl snapped out of it ran at her. Rachel felt the weight of the girl on her hands and pushed her hands upwards, launching Coraline into the air. She made it. Now, it was only her on the rock. Backing up to the opposite side, she ran full speed and launched herself off of the rock.

As soon as he feet left the rock, she knew she had done it wrong. She soared through the air, and landed on the very edge of the other side. Off balance because of her landing, she wobbled and fell backwards. She waved her arms through the air, and felt Jason's hand grab onto her fingertips, only to let go when his grip slipped. A scream was caught in her throat as she plunged into the icy cold water. The sudden coldness sent shocks through her body. Suddenly, she felt something slimy grab onto her wrists and ankles, pulling her down to a watery grave. She heard someone splash in after her, and saw Jason form diving down after her. Reaching her hand out to him, she could feel her consciousness slipping.

Rachel felt Jason's hand take hold of hers, and wrench whatever had hid of her wrists away. Her vision blurred, as she watched Jason kick at whatever it was that had hold of her feet. Then she was being pulled to the surface. A burning pain flared up her leg, as something lashed out at her from the depths, but they didn't stop moving upwards. Their heads broke the surface and instantly arms reached out and pulled them onto shore. She collapsed on the ground, and realized she still couldn't breathe. A great pressure pushed down on her chest, causing her to cough up some water. She felt something push down on her leg where something had lashed out at her, and gave a yelp of pain. Looking up, she saw that Jason had taken off his shirt and was pressing it against her leg. She winced as another volt of pain raced up her leg. The blood had soaked through Jason's shirt. She looked away, not being able to stang looking at the blood.

Chancing a glance at Jason, she watched as he tied his shirt around her leg, making a makeshift bandage for her. Giving him look of gratitude, she allowed him to help her to her feet. "I..I'm okay…" she said unconvincingly. They had to keep going, but as soon as Jason let her go, she felt herself falling, her leg screaming in pain, and unable to support her weight. She felt hands grab onto her, and she looked up to see both Jason and Wybie staring at her with looks of concern no their faces. "We have to keep goin…" she said, her voice wavering. She saw Jason give her a knowing look and nod, and she knew that he agreed with her. "Rachel's right, we have to keep going" he announced, his voice full of authority. Her gaze shifted to a small opening in the rock surface of the wall. That was the secret entrance. Taking his hand, she leaned heavily on Jason and they limped into the dark depths of the passage, leaving the light of day behind them.

**End of Chapter 17. Wow, is it that many chapters already? Oh and I am really really sorry for the wait, this one was kind of a hard chapter to write. I really hope all liked it. Well anyway random question time! Question of the day: What would you bring to a sword fight? If y'all would leave your answers in your reviews that would be awesome! Anywayz thnx for reading!**


	18. Attack of the Monster Bat

**Ok pplz I'm back with another chapter. Anyway, sorry it took so long, again… Anyway so shoutouts right… I would like to thank beware of the turtle, TacosNotDrugs,WybiE'z KidNapPer, talking black kitty of night, and thecrazytagteam, and last but not least Black Phoniex! THNX GUYS!**

**DISCLAIMER:**

**Heartflower: Coraline Coraline Coraline CORALINE**

**Coraline: I'M RIGHT HERE! WHAT DO YOU WANT!**

**Heartflower: I need to disclaim you**

**Coraline: Well do it without me (turns and walks away)**

**Heartflower: No! (Explodes ceiling and traps them in the room)**

**Coraline: WHAT THE HECK!**

**Heartflower: I disclaim you Coraline Jones**

**Coraline: YOU BLEW UP THE FREAKIN CEILING!**

**Heartflower: Yep! Now onto the story!**

Wybie watched as the two limped inside the gaping hole in the side of the cliff. A sense if foreboding crept into his mind as he stared at the swallowing darkness. He glanced uncertainly at his best friend's pale face, who was staring after their guides with wide eyes.A warmth flooded through him as he gazed at her familiar form. She was the strangest girl he'd ever met. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and took her small hand, pulling her towards the entrance. Without another look at the daylight, he stepped inside.

The passageway he found himself in was dark and creepy. There was a faint sound of dripping water, and the air smelled like salt and mold. The sides were rough and crumbling and he hated the thought of the walls and ceiling caving in, trapping them under the rubble of rock. The sound of theitheir footsteps echoed in the narrow passage. His hand pressed against Coraline's, and it was comforting to know that she was right there. The sound of footsteps echoed through the eerie quiet.

Glancing back, he watched as the light behind them diminished into nothing. The darkness did nothing to soothe his nerves in this creepy, foreboding place. Water dripped onto their heads as they passed cracks in the ceiling. Nobody said i word, it was as if there was some unspoken rule against it. Suddenly, he ran into something. Dazed, he staggered backward, he felt somebody grab onto his shirt as he fell backwards. He could tell it was Jason, by the strength. Irritated, he quickly pulled away. He didn't need any help from Mr. Perfect.

Suddenly the cavern was flooded with and orange light. In front of him stood the bare chest button-eyed boy. Pushing past him, he found the source of the light. Rachel sat propped up against the wall, holding a torch made of wood and seaweed. The light from the flames dancing on her hair was mesmerizing. Her face had paled, but he could tell she was trying to hide how bad it was affecting her. His eyes traveled down to her leg, Jason's shirt was soaked with blood. Slowly, he walked over to the girl, he could feel the heat rushing to his face. "H-How are you feeling?" he asked, crouching down in front of her. "I'm fine…" she responded hesitantly. Looking into her face, he had to admire the strong will and commitment she had.

The sound of somebody clearing their throat, made him turn around. Jason stood there, his arms crossed, glaring at him. "We have to get moving" the button-eyed boy announced. "Whatever you say Buttonboy" he responded with a smirk. He made to push past the boy, but an arm stop him in his tracks. Turning toward Jason, he came nose to nose with him. He could feel Jason's hot breath on his face. "Listen here, I am the one taking you back to your home, without me you would have already been dead by now. So, it would be wise for you to shut up and quit with the attitude. Got that?" the boy said, glaring at him. "And who is the one that led us here?" he shot back. Jason released him with hard shove, and shot him a withering glare.

Wybie stepped back, afraid the boy would attack him. Instead, the button-eyed boy turned around and walked toward Rachel. He watched as Jason put an arm around the injured girl's waist and hoist her up onto her feet. Turning away, he saw Coraline staring at him. He could feel his face turn red as he walked over and stood beside his best friend. "Alright let's go" he heard Jason whisper, and fell in step behind the shirtless boy. The light of the torch bounced off of grime covered walls as they walked along the passage.

As they walked along, the air began to get colder, and the passageway started to narrow. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of their breathing and of their feet hitting the stone floor. Suddenly, he ran right into Jason. Jumping backwards, he tried to see why they stopped. His eyes widened as his eyes settled on the great gaping hole in front of them. Swallowing a lump of fear, he picked up a small rock and threw it into the nothingness before them. He waited, counting the seconds, it took to hit the bottom. Fifteen seconds, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, then he heard a faint clattering noise that echoed along the corridor.

Wybie glanced back at his best friend who was staring at the trench with wide eyes. What were they going to do now? They had come to a dead end. He looked back at the two button-eyed people, wondering what they would do now. Then Jason motioned towards a narrow ledge on the side of the pit. Disbelief clouded his mind as he stared at the tiny ledge. He looked down at Rachel's wounded leg, there was no way she'd make it without falling. Oh God help us, he pleaded silently. He watched as Jason scooped Rachel into his arms., and without a word, flatten himself against the wall and inch along the edge.

Looking back at Coraline, he gave her a half hearted smile, and flattened himself against the wall. The rough rock scraped his back as he inched along. He tried his best not to look down into the dark abyss. Suddenly, he felt the rock underneath one of his feet crumble. His heart raced as he threw his arms out, trying to keep his balance. To his horror, he could feel himself falling forward, and a rush of adrenaline course through him. Then, he felt someone grab onto his flailing arm and pull him back. Head pounding as an effect of the near death experience, he gave Coraline a small smile of gratitude.

The rough rock wall dug into his back painfully. He clutched at the wall behind him, eager not to fall into the dark hole below them. Desperately, shook his head to clear his mind of the images of his form falling into the chasm, to be falling for all eternity. Forcing himself to look away, he looked instead at Jason and Rachel. How he could keep his footing and carry Rachel at the same time was beyond him. Looking away, he focused on his feet, so he wouldn't fall into the engulfing blackness.

Breathing heavily, he looked at the other side, and was relieved to see that they were nearing the rocky area that was there destination. He breathed a sigh of relief. In a few seconds, he wouldn't have to worry about plummeting to his a little farther, and he'd be safe from the pit. He watched as Jason got to the end and set Rachel onto the ground. A stab of irritation went through him as he noticed Jason still kept a steadying arm wrapped around the buttongirl's waist.

Suddenly he felt the ground shake beneath them. The sound of falling rocks reached his ears, and before he could process what was happening, the rock underneath his feet crumbled away and he was falling through the air. Before he could pull in enough air to scream, someone caught his arm. Jason. The button-eyed boy had grabbed his arm with is free hand. He looked up into Jason's face, and could see the strain from trying to keep him from falling. Horrified, he felt his fingers slipping through the other boy's. His rescuer must have felt it too, because he gripped his tighter. It was no use. His finger's slipped from Jason's grasp. He was falling. Down into blackness.

His fingers scraped against rock as he tried to stop his descent. He yelled out as his hand was cut on the sharp rock. Scrabbling at the side, he finally found purchase against the rough sides. He gasped in pain as the sudden stop pulled at his arms. Breathing heavily, he looked up and saw Jason staring down the dark hole, a frantic expression on his face. "Wybie!" he heard the boy exclaim, his voice was full of concern. "Down here" he called out hoarsely. He saw Jason's head turn sharply towards the sound of his voice, and noticed the relief on the boy's face when the boy realized he wasn't dead."Hold on Wybie! Stay there!" he called down to him. "Of course I'm gonna stay here! Where else would i frickin go!" he screamed back.

Suddenly, a great screeching filled the air that sounded like a million bats, or just one huge bat. Above him, he heard someone gasp with fear. Looking around for the source of the great screeching, he saw it. It's huge leathery wings beat the air with powerful force. It's ruby colored buttons glinted evilly as it swooped down on his tiny, dangling form. Then, he felt something hit his head and snapped his head around. Squinting in the dim light, he cold make out the rope that had been wrapped around Jason's waist earlier. "Grab the rope!" he heard the buttony yelled at him, this time his voice dripped with fear and panic. "IfI remove my hands from the wall I'll fall!" he yelled back, clutching to the wall. "Just try!" Jason yelled back. "Lord please help me" he whispered before letting one of his hands go. His world swayed unsteadily as he dangled bye one arm. Frantically he grabbed at he rope dangling in front of him. Praying silently, he let his other hand go and his world dipped again as he dangled with one hand on the rope.

The screeching got louder, as it flew towards him, drowning out anything the others may be saying. Suddenly, the great, black beast swooped right by him, startling and almost making him let go of the rope. Realizing the urgency in getting back to the others, he grabbed frantically onto the rope with his other hand. The black winged thing turned around, coming towards him again. Trying not to look at the monster, he looked up at Jason, who had the other end of the rope held tightly in both hands. Then, he felt the great rush of air that greeted the attack of the giant freak bat. He let out a scream of pain as the thing latched onto his arm with its claws. His arm was on fire with the pain of those razor sharp claws ripping through his skin and he could feel himself being lifted.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of silver and the bat let him go, with a cry of surprise. Screaming, he swung back toward the rock wall and bounced off of it painfully. Hisbody was on fire, and his arm was covered in blood from the attack. Clutching onto the rope for dear life, he could feel himself being lifted up. back to safety. He looked back at the great bat, and saw a silver dagger hilt sticking from its side. Sand was pouring from the wound in a steady stream. It screeched angrily at him, and dove for him again. Screaming with fear, he prayed silently that he would get back to his friends. Relief filled him as the creature missed, swooping right under him. His moment of relief vanished, as he watched it turn around and head for him again. Suddenly, he felt a strong hand grip onto his arm and pull him up onto the ledge with the others.

Relieved, he collapsed on the ground, his body shaking with fear. Dread filled his heart as he saw the huge bat come straight at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jason step towards it, like he was going to fight it. Wincing as he moved his inured arm, he shifted so he could see better. The black beast came straight at the button-eyed boy, but he could see no fear on the boy's face, just raw determination. He watched as the boy held up his hand, and suddenly a green light burst from the boy's hand and shot straight at the bat. With one last screech, the bat turned to dust.

Shocked by what just happened, he watched as the button-eyed boy swayed and then fell to the ground. He stared at the boy who had just saved him from being ripped to shreds. The boy was trying to stand, but was failing. Trying to control his racing heart, he stood up shakily, and felt and arm steady him. Looking back, he saw it was Coraline. Smiling with relief of seeing his best friend, he turned around and gave her a hug.

Pulling away, he stared at her for a second before turning towards the boy. He walked toward Jason's crumpled form, and offered him his uninjured hand. "Thank you, for saving my life" he said, as the boy took his hand. "it was… no problem" the boy replied, breathing heavily as he was pulled to his feet. Wybie put a steadying hand on the boy's bare shoulder, as the boy started to sway again. The boy looked worn out, as if all his energy had been drained out. With Jason leaning heavily on his shoulder, they walked slowly back to the other two. Rachel was sitting with her back against the wall, holding the torch, it's flames casting a warm glow of light around them. Coraline was watching them with wide, concerned eyes.

Easing the butt-eyed boy onto the ground, he rummaged through the pack Rachel brought with her and found some canteens. Picking one up, he brought it over to Jason, who was sitting propped against the wall, watching him. "Here" he said in a low voice, handing it to the boy. "Thanks…" he heard Jason whisper, before drinking some. Taking one last look at the boy who had saved his life, he walked over to his best friend. "Are you okay?" he asked in a whisper, and she nodded to say yes. He brought his hand up to her face, holding it gently, gland that he was alive right a nervous smile, he looked into her chocolate brown eyes and pushed a strand of blue hair out of her face with his thumb. Stepping closer to her, he embraced his blue haired best friend, drawing her close to him. "I was so worried Wybie. I just want to go home" he heard her say as she clung so him. "I know Coraline, I know" he whispered, tightening his hold on her.

After a few seconds, he stepped back and grabbed her hand before walking back to the others. Rachel had wedged the torch in a crack in the wall, and was over by Jason's side talking to him in whispered voices. As soon as he and Coraline stepped within earshot, she stopped and looked at them for a moment. "We can't stay here long. More bat's might find us. We have to keep going" the girl said in a voice laced with worry. Beside her, Jason was still propped up against the wall, staring into space. "We need to rest" he heard Coraline protest. Suddenly, he remembered his injured arm, and clutched at it as pain danced up his arm. Moaning he staggered over to the wall and leaned up agains it. Coraline rushed over, concern filling her eyes. He watched as she reaped the sleeve of her pajama top off and wrap his injured arm in the orange cloth. He winced as she tied the cloth on, sending a wave of agonizing pain up his arm.

Looking past Coraline, his blue eyes locked onto Rachel's button eyes, and he nodded. "Rachel right, we have to keep going" he whispered. Coraline turned to face him, and he could tell she was going to protest. "Look we have come too far to give up, or stop. If we want to survive, we have to keep moving. We can't sit around and wait for more of those things to find us. Jason wouldn't be able to save us, nor Rachel. They are too weak to. We have to keep moving" he said, looking right at Coraline, who closed her mouth and nodded. He saw Rachel give him a smile of gratitude. "Coraline help Rachel up" he said, before walking over to the button-eyed boy. "It's time to go" he said, before pulling Jason to his feet. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Coraline had grabbed Rachel's bad and slung it over her shoulder. Rachel was once again holding the torch.

Taking a deep breath, he set off with Jason leaning on his shoulder. He could hear Jason mumbling something, and leaned in s he could hear. "What?" he whispered. It was a few seconds before the boy answered. "We're… almost there…" he answered faintly. Wybie nodded at the boy to show he heard, and a few seconds later he came to a dead end. "Where is it?" he asked Jason, and watched as the button-eyed boy pointed at a part of the wall that was crumbling. Doubtfully, he walked up to the wall. He could feel a draft coming from the other side of the wall. He searched the wall, and could just make out a hole ig enough for a person to croak through. Desperately, he pulled away some rocks, making the hole bigger, and within seconds a doorway stood in front of them.

Beyond the doorway, stone steps stretched out, leading up wards. Letting out a sigh of relief, he and Jason led the way in. He hesitated before climbing the first step. He looked at Jason who nodded some encouragement before going up the next step. Wybie looked over his shoulders. Thww two girls were following at a much slower pace They waited for the others to catch up before climbing the rest of the steps. Finally they got to the top, he looked around at everyone before looking expectantly at jason. "The trapdoor" Jason said, pointing above them. Staring at the trap door, he grabbed hold of a brass ring on it and pulled. The door swung inward and banged against the wall with a dull thud. Wincing, he waited for some creature would jump out at them. Nothing happened. Relief washed over him as he helped Jason through the trapdoor than climbed out himself. After helping the other two out he gazed around found himself in a stone hallway, the sides were made of smooth stone There were no windows in this hall, so he couldn't see how much time had passed. Suddenly, the temperature dropped to freezing, and goosebumps appeared on his arms. The hair on his neck rose up as he felt there was something behind him.

"Hello, how nice of you to come"

**Alright chapter 18 is finally finished. Hehe nice cliffy huh? :P Sorry I didn't update sooner, this was a pretty difficult chappie to write. please forgive me :D Here you get an oreo for being so patient. (gives reader an oreo) Thanks everyone!**


	19. The Terrible Truth

**Hi peoples! Guess what? I'm not dead! Sorry I haven't been writing this in… forever… I really couldn't think of how to do this chapter… so I kind of stopped it… but I have an idea for the chapter… so tell me how this goes. Alright shoutouts time! I'd like to thank Button Eyed Doll, WybiE'z KidNapPer, beware of the turtle, talking black kitty of night, and EvanescenceAngel. Thanks guys! ^.^ To tell you the truth I was considering just giving up the story but while I was looking back over all the reviews ive gotten… well I decided to keep on ^.^ Yall are definitely my inspiration!**

**DISCLAIMER**

**Heartflower: Coraline!**

**Coraline: What the heck do you want NOW?**

**Heartflower: Umm…. Nothing ^.^ Just wanted to bother you!**

**Coraline: Well do that somewhere else! *mutters something***

**Heartflower: *evil glare* What was that I couldn't quite hear that? *gets out a water gun***

**Coraline: N-Nothing!**

**Heartflower: LIES! *soaks Coraline* I HEREBY DISCLAIM YOU CORALINE JONES! NOW ON WITH THE STORY!**

**Chapter 19**

A chill ran up and down Coraline's spine as the voice sounded behind them and the room seemed to drop a couple of degrees. Beside her she could feel Rachel tense in alarm, and she slowly turned chocolate brown eyes wide. Before she could turn all the way around she was suddenly grabbed from behind, yanking her backwards. The unseen figure gripped her wrists tightly and held them above her head, restraining her. All around her she could hear footsteps and the sounds of her companions being restrained also.

Struggled violently, she suddenly shrieked in pain as something sharp dug into her pale skin and red blood streamed down her arms. Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes from the pain of it. "Let me go!" she yelled, her voice drowned out by the shouts of the others as well. A cold, cruel laughter filled the room and everyone went silent, eyes trained on the shadows, peering into them to find the owner of the terrible laugh. She froze as a tall figure emerged from the shadows.

A look of horror crossed her face as her eyes fell upon the figure and she backed up into her captor, trying to get as far away as she could. The… creature… was at least seven feet tall, towering over all of them. The face was pale and narrow, the mouth a thin line and the nose was just two holes in the face. The hair was long and stark white instead of jet black. A cruel smile was painted on her face and her eyes were two black pits. Her arms and legs were metal, no surprise there, but it was still scary… A bunch of metal was attached to her back, which, when she looked closer, turned out to be metal wings.

"How nice of you to finally join us" she hissed, still smiling that terrible smile of hers as she walked closer. Although nobody said anything you could practically feel the evil in the room, mixed with the hatred from her companions. She watched silently as the Anguis walked calmly over to Jason, stopping right in front of the boy who oddly enough hadn't been restrained. Rachel suddenly started struggling beside her, screaming at the creature to leave him alone.

The Anguis' smile only deepened as she reached out, stroking Jason's cheek. Coraline could see him freeze, terror and hate etched into his face. "You did a very good job of leading them here Jason" she said, voice like silk. Suddenly her world crashed around her and she shook her head in disbelief. He had tricked them…? Him? The boy that had saved them over and over? That was just earning her best friend's approval? It couldn't be… Could it? Suddenly their accidental fall into the well didn't seem so accidental…

All of a sudden a shout rang through the air. "YOU TRICKED US!? ALL THIS TIME YOU WERE JUST TRICKING US?!" Wybie yelled, voice echoing through the room. She flinched at the sudden loud noise and flinched, squealing in pain as the sharp thing dug into her wrists again. Her eyes widened as Wybie started to struggle and suddenly broke free, the sharp things slicing his skin. The room got quiet as he marched over to Jason and the Anguis, who had started laughing again, obviously not worried about the scrawny hunchbacked kid walking toward them.

To everyone's surprise, Wybie's target was not the Anguis, instead, Coraline watched as he yanked Jason to him and punched him square in the face, making the boy yell out in pain. "YOU BROUGHT US ALL THE WAY HERE TO GIVE US TO THAT!? YOU PUT US THROUGH CRAP! ALL YOU ARE IS A COWARD, ONE OF HER PUPPETS TO PLAY AROUND WITH! YOU SICKEN ME!" Coraline's eyes widened in shock, mouth hanging open. She'd never seen her friend this angry before… For once, he was the angry one and she was the quiet one.

Coraline's attention turned to the Anguis as she suddenly moved, picking her friend up by the front of his shirt. "Not that I didn't enjoy that, but I don't take kindly to those who injure my spies" she said, tightening her razor sharp fingers into his flesh. She watched as he screamed out in pain, glaring at the Anguis with fury. "Now now now let's not make such a fuss over nothing" she said with a smirk. Narrowing her eyes at the Anguis, she tore away from her captor as well. "GET OFF OF HIM!" she screamed, running forward, she slipped a knife out of her pocket, the silver flashing through the air as she did.

Drawing back her arm to stab the Anguis in the leg, her hand was suddenly stopped in midair. Gasping she turned her head, staring into two button eyes. Her own chocolate brown eyes filled with tears as the terrible truth hit her. It was true… He really was her spy… Betrayal shot through her, causing her to look away. She had trusted him… Actually trusted him… "I wouldn't do that if I were you" he told her, voice quiet when he spoke, and almost sounded threatening… "I trusted you…" came a voice behind them both.

Coraline looked to her right, startled. She had forgotten about Rachel, being as quiet about all this as she had been. As Rachel walked closer, she could see that there were tears streaming down her face. "I trusted you…" she repeated a little louder, clutching a dagger. Coraline's teary eyes widened, noticing that the girl was trembling slightly. "I TRUSTED YOU!" the girl suddenly screamed, running at Jason, tears running down her face.

To her surprise, Rachel didn't come at her with the dagger, but the hand that was unoccupied. Her hand was a blur as it went through the air and at Jason. It was stopped suddenly as he grabbed her wrist. "Rachel…" he said softly, but he didn't get to say what he wanted. Rachel suddenly kicked him hard in the shin, making him release bother her and the button eyed girl. Coraline fell to the ground, and looked up, watching as Jason fell to his knees.

Eyes wide, she looked from Rachel to Jason, completely shocked with what was happening. Rachel raised her now free hand and smacked him across the face, making him fall backwards with the force of it. "Jason please… tell me it's not true… tell me she's lying!" the girl pleaded, her demeanor changing as she walked closer to him. She dropped the dagger, holding out her hands in a pleading gesture. "Tell me it's all wrong…" she said softly before she was suddenly knocked off her feet.

Coraline gasped as Jason jumped to his feet, his face bloody from being punched earlier. He stared at her on the ground, eyes narrowed. Unable to really do anything, Coraline just watched as Rachel closed her eyes, her crying becoming louder as she lay on the ground. She slowly rose to her feet, raising her tearstained face to look at Jason. The whole room had gone silent, watching the two of them. Coraline shook her head slightly; it wasn't supposed to go like this…

Biting her lip, she slowly rose to her feet, but a sharp look from Jason made her sink to the ground again. His face had turned unemotional and cold. "Jason… Please… It can't be true…" she whispered, the quiet, shaky voice carrying through the room. Her caramel colored hair hung in her face, hiding half of her face from view. "It… just…. can't…" A smirk planted itself on his face, but he wouldn't meet her eyes as he answered.

"It is."

**Alright end of chapter! Hope ya liked it! Finally updated… after like…a long time...*feels really guilty so gives everyone candy* Anyway so tell me whatcha liked, what ya didn't. I'll start typing the next one right away ^.^**


End file.
